The Unscrupulous Council
by EnglishVoice
Summary: Billy, Joshua and Quil Sr phased in their teens. The next generation live with the good and the bad consequences. What world did they create?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Twilight ain't mine. Can you tell?**

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**AN: In 2007 **LaylaLove-CC had a story with arrhenphobia. .net/s/3919260/1/Arrhenphobia It gave me an idea for Bella's character.

Prologue

Officer Stanley and Detective Wright watched the girl through the one way window. She had long brown hair and eyes with a faded tan. She was slight and given her age, it would seem puberty was delayed. It appeared that she was malnourished. She gazed blankly straight ahead. Wright pondered whether she was paralyzed by fear or if she was crazy. Stanley was dying to cram massive amounts of greasy, high calorie food down her throat. He had memories of a childhood where he went hungry often and it was something that still haunted him. He hated to see a hungry child. She glanced at the window as though she could see straight through it and began to chew on her lower lip. She probably didn't belong in this room for questioning, no one suspected her of foul play. The body was very likely a suicide. It was just that her response had shaken everyone up. Why had she done that? They were eager to find out how long the woman had been dead for. They wanted answers but the more they learned, the more questions they had. It was getting to the point where Wright wanted to hand her over to someone else. Stanley however was more interested in taking her home and fattening her up.

"Why no men?" Stanley asked.

"She appears to have arrhenophobia. An extreme fear of men. Most likely the result of a traumatic experience but it's possible that it could come from other causes. She spent all her time with her mother on the run. Lack of exposure to men along with her homeless mother trying to make sure they're not raped or attacked by men could have given her the impression that _all_ men are dangerous. It would help if she would talk."

Eleven years on the run with her mother, we don't have any information since she was four years old. No one I've spoken to has heard her utter one word since she was picked up." Dr. Rothe explained. He tried not to dehumanize his patients, but she really was a gift wrapped problem to solve. There was so much to learn. She was a problem that Dr. Rothe wanted to solve. The police that he stood beside had two important questions. Who was she and where was she from? They were well on their way to answering their questions and soon she would be off their hands. But Rothe had two different questions. Why was she behaving like this and how did this reaction come about?

Dr. Rothe watched as a child psychiatrist entered the room with the fifteen year old. He observed her thread bear hooded sweater, faded bell bottom jeans that just weren't fitting current styles and panda bear t-shirt. It looked like she'd fished the mismatched clothes from a homeless shelter. She was picked up in northwest Arizona in the middle of winter in a car without heat. She wasn't dressed for the temperatures at these elevations at this time of year. The lingering question was how her mother fed and kept them for eleven years. It wouldn't appear that the mother worked in the sex industry. To waitress you would need to stick around a town, but they didn't appear to settle they could be wrong. Why was she running? In court documents, the mother never suggested that she had anything to fear from her ex-husband. She seemed happy with arrangements to leave her daughter with her father during the summers. Divorce proceedings had run so smoothly. Out of nowhere, she had runaway. She didn't even contact her daughters grandparents in California.

After more than a decade of police looking for Renee Carter and Isabella Swan, the police were called to a highway after civilians had spotted a young girl driving alone. They found fifteen year old Isabella Swan driving a car with her mother's corpse riding in the backseat. Renee's wrists were slashed and bled out at another location. Isabella seemed to have relocated her mother's remains into the backseat. The first officers on the scene had been a man and woman team. The child had been calm and obedient showing an immediate preference for the woman even if she wouldn't talk. It wasn't until recently when she had been alone with men that she had snapped throwing chairs and screaming at the men. She reacted like a small cornered animal. But still, she hadn't used any words. She was calm while there was a woman still present when there were men in the room.

Listening in the room, the child psychiatrist didn't appear to be making headway either. Her father was the Chief of Police in a town called Forks in the state of Washington. Charles Swan or Charlie over the phone. He was eager to have his daughter home with him but understood the recent developments. It helped that the father was in law enforcement and quickly understood the situation. Charlie was arranging a place for his daughter to stay that would have only women for the time being. Dr. Rothe was disappointed that she would be leaving for Washington soon and he wouldn't have the opportunity to follow her developments and unravel her case. He was sorely tempted to pick up and follow the girl to Washington only his wife wouldn't approve. He'd try to stay in contact with Charlie to find out how Miss Swan was doing.

"Thirty hours." Officer Jenks spoke as he opened the door behind them. "The mother had been dead for thirty hours when they picked the girl up. I wonder how long she would have driven around like that if no one had noticed. Did you know the girl was driving a stick? For a kid too young for a driver's licence that's not bad." He was sloppily talking around the large sub sandwich he was eating wrapped in deli paper.

"My eighteen year old daughter won't even try to drive the mustang because it's stick." Commented Detective Wright sourly. They spoke little. They were mostly observing the curious creature sitting in the next room, silently watching the child psychiatrist trying to get inside her head. Wright shuddered to think what this girl had lived through over her years of living on the run resulting in her fear of men. What could have possessed her mother to raise her kid like this? From her choice of lifestyle and eventually her suicide, she wasn't an emotionally healthy person. Presented with her mother's body, Bella hadn't called for help. She had continued to run with her mother's remains in the silver 1987 Dodge Charger that looked like it had been kept together by shoe strings. It was then that he noticed her hands. Calloused and grease stained. There was the little mechanic. He shouldn't be surprised it wasn't like they had the money to take it to a mechanic and who would they trust? He wondered at what age she had started fixing that beat up old subcompact car. It certainly was designed to be lived out of. They disappeared in an Intrepid and it had popped up on the radar according to files multiple times until it was found as a recent purchase by a young man in Oregon five years ago. She had sold it with stolen licence plates still in the trunk.

Dr Rothe saw the time and shrugged his shoulders and then stretched and yawned. "Time I headed out. The wife will be giving me an earful as it is." They acknowledged him leaving and continued to watch their subject quietly.


	2. Meet and Greet

**Disclaimer: Twilight ain't mine. Can you tell?**

**The Unscrupulous Council**

Meet And Greet

Chapter 1

Tribal Chief William Black stood by Chief of Police Charles Swan out front of the Clearwater home. Joshua Uley and Quil Atearra Sr. stood a few steps back from the men with young Seth Clearwater. It wasn't lost on Charlie that Billy, Joshua and Quil Sr. were close to his own age but looked ten years younger than him. They were all tall and heavily muscled even though Charlie didn't see them exercise or push weights. But he trusted Billy wasn't using steroids. They had been friends since he was dating Bella's mother and had been there for him through his divorce and Bella's kidnapping. They had been friends through Billy's wife Sarah passing away in a car accident and the usual highs and lows of life. Charlie's closest friend had been Harry until he passed away last year and Billy had stepped in. Billy was still closer to Joshua and Quil Sr, but it helped to have Billy here for this.

Charlie had observed the men's sons and other boys from the Rez grow to be tall and particularly muscular men. They almost looked as old as their fathers. He didn't know them all very well, but the list seemed to grow with each year. Sam Uley, then two young men called Paul and Jared had appeared. Six months later Embry Call, Billy's son's friend had begun to spend more time around Billy than he did with his son Jacob. Soon Jake had grown with young Quil Atearra Jr and joined the tall and muscled club. Charlie joked that there was something in La Push's drinking water. In recent months he'd watched as the Clearwater children joined Billy and his group. Charlie had some suspicions, but trusted Harry and Billy. They seemed to improve the Rez and so there was no need to question these changes. Young men growing up looking for mentors. If anything, they needed this sort of thing in Forks.

Charlie's long lost daughter arrived with a Child Protective Services employee dressed in a pencil skirt business suit, a stiff bun, but soft eyes. She stood in the driveway with Isabella Swan at her side. She was introducing herself to Susan Clearwater, council member (first woman replacing her deceased husband in the spirit of the twenty-first century, they preferred a woman over her sixteen year old son) and temporary guardian to Isabella. Sue's daughter Leah Clearwater stood by her side coolly observing the interactions but politely shaking hands. Sue warmly greeted Mrs. Pratt and introduced herself to Isabella. The child was unresponsive and Billy Black could feel his heart wrench for his old friend Charlie Swan. He glanced back at Quil Sr with narrowed eyes. If Quil Sr had simply been a better man, Renee wouldn't have run. Quil Sr tried to hold his Alpha's glare in return but dropped under the strain of authority. He knew he had behaved badly but usually put those thoughts aside. Usually, his past transgressions didn't stare him in the face in the form of a malnutritioned and unresponsive fifteen year old girl. Charlie was a good man. He didn't deserve this. What had happened to Renee and her daughter these past eleven years?

If Charlie only knew how Quil Sr had badgered Renee for five years. If he knew, like the pack knew, how he had threatened her when he found out she was moving to California to be with her mother. As a young man, before he had phased, he had admired the younger teenage girl. After his transformation, at first he had felt hurt that she hadn't reacted as the other women had. But then he had considered her a challenge. He married Janice and had Quil Jr, but still he wanted Renee. Then she had fallen in love with Charlie. Angered, he had phased right in front of her. Still, she gently rejected him. Quil Sr watched as she married Charlie and had a daughter. His sense of rejection and anger grew month by month and day by day. She grew restless in the small town and decided to leave Charlie. Quil Sr thought that finally he would have his chance. Finally she would see reason. He even offered to leave Janice. That was when he really lost his temper. When his promise to leave Janice wasn't good enough for Renee. Unrequited love is a painful thing. He had threatened her and her child. Quil Sr gave her one day to think about it. He had confidently gone home expecting the foolish woman to give in. Only, the bitch had skipped town. His Alpha was furious when he realized the depth of Quil Sr's approach to Renee. They were supposed to be protectors. Quil Sr had hidden much from his pack and it had come as a shock to Billy and Joshua just how far Quil Sr had taken this. Billy placed an injunction over Quil Sr protecting Renee, Charlie and Bella. Billy felt responsible for all Charlie had suffered due to his failure to step in but young council member Harry assured him that Charlie and Renee had already been having problems.

In recent days, news of Renee's death and Bella's return came to the pack. Younger pack mates had been disgusted to learn Charlie Swan's story that even Charlie didn't know. Quil Jr had been hurt to learn all that his father had done. More disgustingly, he realized his father harboured hope of winning Bella simply because she was Renee's daughter. But Billy's injunction protected the girl from Quil Sr. The pack knew what Billy knew. And Charlie had told Billy everything that he knew. The police and psychiatrists in Arizona had put all of their observations into Bella's files and Charlie had poured over them. What struck them most was just how little was known. They could only observe the information available.

Charlie and Billy made introductions. Hearing Charlie's name, Bella became more alert and she searched his face. She seemed to be genuinely interested in him. It gave Charlie hope. Maybe she could come home to him soon.

Leah, Billy and the rest of the wolves could hear and smell her. Bella reeked of fear and anxiety. She was lightly sweating and her heart was pounding too hard and fast. They were the protectors but they could see the damage unleashed on their family friends daughter. Were they any better than the vampires that they hunted? Right now, they didn't believe so. There was something different about this pack. The council contained wolves. Where in previous generations, the council represented the people. This council represented the wolves and the people. The patients were running the asylum and no one realized it.

Bella looked at the men standing around Charlie with suspicion. She clearly distrusted them as far as Mrs. Pratt could tell. There hadn't been anything in the files that suggested she behaved differently towards men unless she felt directly threatened by being alone with them. Mrs Pratt considered why exactly Bella took exception to these men but then acknowledged, they were particularly large and intimidating.

Billy considered what Renee had told her daughter. Right now, she wasn't talking. Once she did start talking, would she be a threat? Could she talk? How long ago did she stop talking? Did she stop talking when Renee died? Before Renee died? What had caused her muteness?

"Would you like me to bring in Bella's suitcase?" Leah offered Mrs. Pratt as the women began to cross through the home's threshold. Bella dropped her backpack and opened her eyes wide looking hurt. As if Leah had just pointed out a sore point. Mrs Pratt picked up the back pack and spoke softly.

"Bella has her belongings. We added some outfits and gave her a backpack. It seems the last few months had been particularly hard for the two of them." She put an arm around Bella and pulled her into the house. Leah had already observed Bella wearing brand new clothes, shoes and coat. She then drew the connection that they were state provided. She felt a pang of guilt for her insensitivity. She associated Bella with Charlie and he wasn't living in poverty. But it was clear now that Bella's worldly possessions fit in a backpack and she had known a life of poverty. Leah's eyes met Charlie's and she could see his pain. She grimaced but he nodded at her understandingly.

Billy and Charlie followed the women at a distance into the house staying back. Leah offered drinks and then went into the kitchen to prepare coffee and pour Bella some water. Bella watched Billy out of the corner of her eye.

"I understand that you have a sixteen year old son Mrs Clearwater?" Asked Mrs Pratt opening her file and scanning down the pages. "Where will he be staying until Bella is ready to return home?" She was polite and gentle with her questions. She gave the marked impression that she was just following through on basic questions. The truth was Mrs. Pratt felt Charlie Swan would have taken care of these issues already and there wasn't any need for her to follow up. But the organization liked to see where they placed children.

"I'm fine with Sue and he'll be staying over at Billy's for the time being. He lives just down the road from me. He's happy to have a reason to hang out with Billy's son, Jacob. Jake is eighteen and as you might expect Seth looks up to him. So he's enthusiastic that this arrangement stays this way for some time." Sue exchanged knowing smiles with Mrs. Pratt clearly amused by Seth's enthusiasm. Leah came back with water for Bella who hadn't indicated that she wanted anything. Bella made timid eye contact with Leah and appeared to obediently take her glass of water and sip from it. The room was awkwardly quiet.

"She's still not talking. Has she shown any preferences or dislikes Mrs. Pratt?" Charlie asked from the doorway.

"She's right here. Bella, have you shared any information with us?" Mrs Pratt said clearly making her point. Bella reacted stiffly looking between Charlie and Mrs. Pratt like a small animal. She frowned and shook her head bringing her attention back to sipping on her water. "But you are showing a preference for avoiding interaction, aren't you Bella?" The girl glanced up at Mrs. Pratt before quickly returning to her water.

"That's some good water we must have here Bella." Leah spoke sarcastically. She didn't miss the lack of reaction from Bella. "Mom, we should start bottling and selling the water from here judging from Bella's reaction." Bella turned her attention on Leah. She was tall, muscular, tanned and beautiful. She had full features, a pixie haircut and cool confidence. Bella felt a pang of envy because of Leah's confidence. She wanted to be confident.

"How did your hands get that way dear?" Sue asked with a touch of mothering concern. She stood up and inspected Bella's hands turning them over and gently touching the calloused fingers and palms. "Your hands have been working hard dear." There were old stains in the crevices that would take a good many more washes to wear away.

"Mmmm... it seems she was Renee's mechanic and the two of them seem to have done some work as field hands. Of course, we're only observing. It looks as though Renee tried to feed them via moral means. Bella's small but she's strong. We think some child labour laws have been broken. It just seems so strange that her mother would choose this. Charlie, you have booked time with the nutritionist right? Like I was saying to Bella earlier, she seems to have experienced some stunted growth. Close attention will need to be taken on her eating habits. Renee didn't seemed to be in worse shape, but mother's usually tend to put their children first." Mrs. Pratt spoke looking at Sue sharing these observations they had noted. Sue watched Bella peek at Billy darkly and stifle a small shudder. Leah considered the same thing and shared a passing look with Sue. Bella felt like a lab rat looking down at her frame. Did they really have to point out that Bella wasn't much to look at? She already knew this.

"Bella, did your mother ever explain why she left? Why you lived on the run?" Mrs Pratt asked the girl. She had been asked many times since she had been taken in. Bella was almost amused. What could she say? _To avoid you. To avoid Charlie._ Because CPS and Charlie would bring her into the hands of the big men that Renee said would hurt Charlie and Bella and Renee. Renee was safe now. No one could hurt her anymore. But now Bella feared for her and Charlie. Charlie seemed to be oblivious to any danger, just as Renee had said. Bella thought he seemed nice enough and wished she could involve him in her escape plans. But he lived in the next town over. Renee had said that in case of capture not to try to runaway without Renee. Bella was instructed to obey and not anger anyone. But Bella knew that at some point, Renee had lost touch with reality over the years. As far as Bella was concerned, Renee ran for a reason. But years of running had taken their toll on the woman and paranoia had taken hold. Renee was not entirely sane in recent years and Bella had taken on the role of care giver. Bella trusted Renee's earlier words. But in later years, Renee suffered from delusions and depression. It had hurt her but not surprised her when her mother had slashed her wrists.

After all these years, she was right where Renee had fought so hard to keep them from. Bella felt like her head was in the mouth of the lion and it took all of her effort not to tremble in fear. She wondered if the Indian men really did turn into giant wolves or if it was another one of Renee's delusions. Bella took comfort in the knowledge that they wanted her mother. They might not have any interest in Bella. She wasn't much to look at. This might all blow over. Or they might be frustrated having lost Renee and Bella might be the person they blame. She knew that she couldn't trust anyone or tell anyone what Renee had told her. She knew three names especially to avoid. Billy, Quil and Joshua. Men were less trustworthy than women. They could rape and kill you and leave you on the side of the road. But these three men especially were untrustworthy. They were to be avoided. And for the first time in Bella's life, one of the bogey men she had spent her life fearing stood in a room with her.

As Renee had described them, Billy was tall, powerfully built and tanned. He had dark hair and eyes. Her heart hadn't slowed down since she had seen the signs for Forks. She focused on her cool glass of water that soothed her dry mouth while taking deep calming breaths. She hadn't spoken yet but it was all the more ironic that they wanted her to talk here. Her throat was so tight she could scarcely breathe. How could she possibly hope to form words here in front of these monsters? She wondered how Sue and Leah survived around these men? They were beautiful. Maybe that was it. Maybe they were obedient. Maybe running away would be a mistake. Maybe she would have better hope showing obedience? Maybe she should learn more about the area so that she could more effectively plan her escape. She was warned when the men started shaking, they would turn into giant wolves and they were deadly. And that was what she was watching for. She mustn't make them angry and needed to always keep her space. It was possible that Renee was wrong. But what if she wasn't? _Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get you._ Renee was all she had in her life for as long as she could remember. She had told her that Charlie was a good man but he just didn't know the truth. It was a relief that there was at least one person in her world that Renee had told her could be trusted to a degree. Charlie wouldn't try to hurt her. He was one man who was probably exempt from her fear. She wouldn't have minded going home with him, at least in theory. But when she opened her mouth to tell them back in their offices, nothing had come out.

Leah brought in coffee and Billy moved to sit down across from Bella. She instantly jumped out of her seat and pressed her back to the fireplace. Conversation stopped. Billy chuckled nervously.

"Skittish isn't she? It's okay Bella, you can sit down. I'll move." He stood back up and moved back to the door. Bella remained standing. Even the humans in the room could feel the fear rolling off the girl.

"Bella, you weren't this nervous around the men at the office. He's pretty big and intimidating, is that a problem for you?" Mrs. Pratt asked Bella but she pressed her body against the bricks struggling to breathe. Her breaths came in short pants and a panic attack was building.

"I should leave." Billy said taking his coffee cup with him heading outside. Bella watched him intensely as if measuring his every move. She noted his gait and power. It wasn't natural. Homeless she always had her guard up. Sizing people up. And he moved in a way that she hadn't seen before. He was not natural. She knew right then that her mother was right. Renee hadn't lied. She saw him through the window talking to other giant men. But felt her fear ease as the relative distance put between them and herself. She felt her breathing slow and her body eased away from the fireplace.

She then noticed three sets of eyes on her in the room. She frowned and took her seat back hoping they wouldn't dwell on her behaviour. Conversation slowly struck up again and more attempts were made to include Bella. Of course all attempts to talk to Bella reminded Leah of Wilde Coyote slamming into a cliff face. It was when Mrs Pratt made moves to head out the front door and Leah gathered coffee mugs that Bella saw something that struck fear into her heart. Leah moved in an unnaturally silent and liquid way. Just like Billy. Leah heard Bella's heart pick up and met her eyes. Seeing Bella's fear, Leah knew that Bella saw something she wasn't supposed to see. Bella knew they weren't entirely human. They froze staring at each other.

"Oh fuck." Leah muttered under her breath, just loud enough for Bella to hear as Sue and Mrs Pratt continued to chatter politely in the foyer. Bella stayed seated, unable to move. Leah quickly gathered up the mugs and left for the kitchen trying to decide what to do about this. Charlie had already gone outside to talk with the men. As Bella noticed Mrs Pratt heading out the door she jumped to her feet and quickly followed wanting to beg Mrs Pratt to take her with her. But she remained silent. The words caught in her throat. Mrs Pratt gave her a bright smile and wished her well before walking to her car. Bella stayed close to Sue. She was at least human. Sue had lived into middle age around these wolves. She must be doing something right. Bella would follow Sue's example. Bella watched Mrs Pratt's car pull away and a cold shiver passed through her. Charlie said his goodbye's, expressing that he had to get back to the station before getting into his cruiser. Bella felt her stomach drop as he turned around on the street and drove away.

She felt a group of men's eyes on her and moved closer to Sue. She looked around to find Leah standing close by and yelped.

"Mom, she knows." Said Leah. "I thought she might know about Billy, but somehow she figured me out. She's a clever girl." Leah perceived.

Sue patted Bella's shoulder in a motherly way. "Don't worry dear. They won't hurt you. I don't know why you're so skittish though. You're perfectly safe." Bella looked at Sue incredulously. Sue was surrounded by giant wolf men and a wolf daughter and Sue believes they're safe? What drugs was Sue taking to be so calm about all of this? Sue turned and walked into the kitchen. Bella matched her step for step.

"Billy!" Leah called without raising her voice even though the man was some distance from the house. Bella watched over should and saw Billy's head rise up through the window and the group of men move into the house. Bella moved closer to Sue. She prayed to whatever power was out there that she would live to see tomorrow.


	3. Hell Cat

Disclaimer: Twilight ain't mine. Can you tell?

**The Unscrupulous Council **

**Hell Cat**

**Chapter 2**

Four giant men walked into the Clearwater's living room. Bella watched from Sue's side in the kitchen twitching to run for the backdoor. She reached into her backpack while keeping her eyes shifting between Sue, the back door and the occupants of the living room taking seats. She considered if these were her last they end her life and then just say that she ran away? The police would probably believe that she ran away. She had every intention of running away. Would it be a short death?

She recalled her last near death experience. She was elbow deep in a car engine in an empty parking lot stealing a starter. Everyone had gone to bed as far as they could tell. A gun was cocked inches from the back of her head. She raised her hands and backed away from the car slowly. She was led to the back door where he opened the door and pushed her back on the seat. The mans eyes flashed with rage. Soon his fists were pummeling her face until he slumped to the ground. Renee stood in his place holding a phone book with a half smile. Bella jumped up and went back to finish taking out the starter. Renee threw the gun into the field. Renee left to go and check if there was anyone else with the man. That was when the man must have come to because she was shot in her ass cheek as he was draped over the side of the car. Bella managed to slam the hood down on his head. Renee reappeared hitting him with the same phone book. He appeared to be passed out but they weren't going to take chances this time. Bella held him down while Renee stomped on his head in an effort to make sure he stayed unconcious or died. Standing over his body Bella inquired if they should find a large rock, but Renee decided enough had been done. It was time to leave. Bella refused to leave without the starter despite her gunshot wound. They should have checked more junk yards before resorting to stealing in Renee's opinion and Bella had to agree feeling the pain in her ass. Bella dreamt of being arrested for murder many nights. But she didn't know if he lived. But that was the day when she wished death on another human being for the first time. They didn't wait to see if he beat her to death or had other plans. If he had simply held her at gunpoint and waited for the police while he used that cellphone they found in his pocket, they wouldn't have done anything to him. But the gun and the fists had sealed his fate. And why did he have two guns?

If these men were going to kill her, they were taking their time. Which couldn't be a good sign. Bella contained her terror. She and Renee had made it through lots of scrapes together. They thrived on their ability to find vulnerabilities in their attackers. She just needed to think and watch. "Come sit with us Bella." Leah invited using cutting sarcasm. Her tone confirmed that Leah did not in fact like Bella. Fortunately, Bella didn't like Leah either. She was one of 'them'.

"Now, now dear. Bella is a guest. Watch your tone!" Sue admonished. She tapped Bella's arm and then used a motherly tone. "Bella, it's safe. Take a seat honey." Sue said sweetly. Bella swiftly shifted her keys into her pocket standing behind the counter beside the unobservant and naive Sue. She smiled timidly at Sue and made slow cautious steps towards the living room. When she reached the living room with all eyes on her, she stood with her back against the door clutching her backpack with her left hand allowing it to hang at her side while her right hand fidgeted in her jean pocket.

"I take it your mother told you a few things about us?" Joshua grinned. They could hear the girl's heart racing and they could smell her fear. She was so much like a small frightened animal that they sometimes hunted and fed from in the forest when they were far from home. She brought out the predator in them. She was more extremely alert and they observed just how much civilization had worn away peoples instincts. Her's couldn't match theirs, but they were eyes scanned the room keeping note of each person's place, body language, eye contact, clothing and signs of movement indicating approaching danger. She observed that they were much to relaxed. She kept her guarded stanced but nodded hesitantly at Joshua. It hurt Billys and Seth's hearts that she feared them. They thought of themselves as the good guys. The protectors. She smelled like a child. Her body hadn't crossed the threshold into womanhood yet. Which only served to make Billy and Seth feel more protective of her. Beside the fact that they liked Charlie Swan and by extension his daughter. Leah, Joshua and Quil Sr protected their own kind. She was a pale face and at the moment, she was their entertainment.

"Then you know that there's no fighting us. We have no intentions of hurting you. Take a seat." Joshua patted the seat beside him and batted his lashes innocently at her. Usually it worked nicely. It produced a snort from Leah. But Bella didn't feel the least bit comforted by Joshua's antics. He appeared to be a womanizer. Bella didn't like fully grown men flirting with a minor no matter how playfully or innocent they might appear. The last man who said he didn't intend to hurt her backhanded her. It was an empty promise.

Bella could sense that she was in the presence of predators. She and Renee had been the prey enough times for Bella to recognize a predator from a distance. But these predators weren't at a distance and she could tell these were different from ordinary predators. They moved with grace and agility and in silence. Their eyes were locked on her keen to give chase. Some of them almost seemed to be willing her to run. She fought panic and focused on their words and her defence plans a and b. Quil Sr lost patience with how long she was taking to sit down and grabbed her pulling her down onto the couch beside him. She started shrieking and kicking with all her might to no avail. She heard chuckles. So she took defence plan a. In one practiced motion she brought an object from her pocket and shoved it in Quil Sr's eye. He released her and shrieked in pain falling to the ground. She leaped to the door and ran down the driveway. The room paused for a moment in shock. What the hell did that girl just do to Quil? Leah caught sight of what was in Bella's hand out the window.

"Pen knife!" Leah yelled as she ran after Bella's sprinting form. Seth was hot on her figurative tail when Leah snatched the pen knife from Bella's hand. Seth scooped Bella up effortlessly while covering her mouth to stop the screaming.

"The little Hell Cat got the drop on Quil! That was vicious!" He said enthusiastically. He brought her back into the house and pulled her onto his lap like a small ill-behaved child even though she was only a year younger than him. He looked closer to twenty and she looked closer to twelve. She kicked and scratched and slapped and struggled in his lap. Seth chuckled at her tenacity. He liked the girl and thought she would grow to be a sexy woman given time.

"Any other weapons Bella?" Billy asked calmly passing an amused look at Joshua as Quil Sr rolled on the floor groaning in pain. Sue was bringing an ice pack for him and some disinfectant with brown towels. The kids came home injured frequently enough with bloody wounds that she bought brown towels that hid blood stains more effectively. She disapproved of Bella's behaviour.

"Bella that wasn't very lady like. We will work on that." Bella stopped kicking and thrashing to look at Sue incredulously. She was stunned that lady like behaviour even came into the equation. What good was lady like behaviour if you were dead? She looked at Quil Sr maliciously and tried to thide the spiteful smirk begging to appear on her face. Renee taught her not to engage a man in a fight. Don't let them see you coming, make it count and run for you life. Bella wasn't as creative in her defence as Renee was, but she perfected her re-enactments of her mother's actions.

Billy was stunned that this girl just stabbed a man in the eye. It was hard to accept such violent behaviour from one so young. He had seen into the minds of many young men and one young woman entering the pack consciousness. None of them had such a violent thought in their minds. He wondered what experiences led Bella to fear men and consider stabbing a man in the eye an appropriate response to being pulled into a man's lap. Was she safe to have around humans like Sue and Charlie? If she had been alone with Quil Sr what else would have done to him? Was she capable of killing them? He'd never had to ask these questions about a human before. He would forewarn the pack. He pushed these thoughts to one side and focused on more pressing issues. Bella was still trying to think of ways to escape Seth's lap when Billy began to talk.

"Bella, your mother was threatened by a member of the pack. Joshua and I were not aware of the situation and we would have put a stop to it sooner if we had known. Ironically, Quil here, the man you just stabbed was the one that threatened her. We never would have allowed Quil to follow through on his threat. We only found out when Renee skipped town and we learned his thoughts. Honestly, we are the good guys here Bella. Mostly." He added eyeing Quil Sr. "You have nothing to fear from us. I'm confiscating the pen knife. Don't run away again. You'll break Charlie's heart. Besides, you won't get anywhere. You would leave a scent trail. Your mother surprised Quil and you've surprised Quil. The rest of us are wiser than Quil. I give you my word that you are safe in La Push." He spoke in measured words watching her body language closely. She was as guarded as ever. Her silence didn't indicate her defeat or acceptance. She simply had nothing that she wished to share with people that she didn't trust. The only person she trusted right now was Charlie. But he wouldn't believe the truth. Bella was entirely unconvinced that the pack was good and anyone in the room could see that. She wasn't an actress. She laid out her feelings to bare, still panting from the energy from her recent adrenalin rush. She loved adrenalin. It held away pain, made her mind sharp and gave her strength she wouldn't otherwise possess.

Sue was dressing an impatient Quil Sr's eye in the kitchen. Sue wondered about sleeping in a house with a young girl that incapactitated a supernatural being. She hadn't realized she was inviting a violent young woman into her home. Sue reasoned that she would trust Leah not to underestimate their gate the way that Quil had.

"Billy, don't bother. You know she's unconvinced. I know that she's unconvinced. My guess is that Renee has taught Bella that we are the villains for her entire life and from Renee's perspective, she would be right. We'll have to show her. Actions speak louder than words. At the moment, she doesn't trust human men. Let's work on this trust thing one step at a time. Now Seth let go of her. She's going to have a heart attack. Right dear?" Sue asked Bella. Bella nodded and tried to get up off the giant monsters lap only to feel the iron bars holding her waist still. Terror and panic reigned in her heart, she was sure she was about to die and they were playing with her. Seth raised an eyebrow in question to Billy. He agreed to release the girl with a simple nod. Bella shot to her feet and pressed her back against the brick fireplace once again in a defensive crouch. It amused Billy. Was she naturally aggressive or was this the result of years of conditioning? He'd like his own wolves further conditioned but without psychological damage. Quil Sr proved Billy's point that they were too relaxed.

"Well, we've pressed on your hospitality long enough Sue." Billy and Joshua got up heading out the door. Bella watched them leave eagerly.

"Oh so soon?" Asked Sue with a kind smile.

"Afraid so. Now, this Hell Cat should probably be fed and tired out. You'll probably want her passed out at bed time. I don't want her having energy or ideas in the middle of the night. Right Sue." Joshua grinned.

"Did you want Seth to help Leah with that?" That took care of two birds with one stone. They didn't want Seth around for the conversation that was coming.

"The girl is supposed to be putting on some fat. Her body fat is only about five percent and if she's running to exhaustion all day she'll just add more muscle with the food she'll be eating." Johshua was confused.

"She needs to put on fat and not muscle?" Billy and Seth had to admit defeat. They thought low body fat was a good thing.

"Women need more body fat than men. She's a growing girl, trust me, she needs fat. If you want to keep Seth around, then tell him to stick around. But you're not working her to exhaustion." Sue bossed them around. It angered Quil Sr when the small woman was authoritative around them. But Billy and Joshua always found it endearing and liked doing as she told them to do. He wanted their Pups to obey authority on the basis of wisdom and not brute force.

"Seth, stick around here in that case. Make sure that Bella gets her rest. I've been listening to her heart, see if you can slow that down. Leah, I want to see you making nice with Bella by the end of the day. I'm seeing too much hostility. Have a good day Sue."And with that the three men left. Bella was still wondering how they could be so calm that she had just blinded one of them in one eye. She watched the three men leave before she turned her attention on Seth Clearwater. He was about six foot tall, a little shorter and less built than the other men. But still extremely larger than Bella. He seemed to have a good heart that he wore on his sleave. If he didn't have a penis, she would have preferred him over Leah. She wished Seth's personality into Leah's body. He took a seat in the middle of the couch and Bella angled herself closer to the kitchen. Leah, laydown on her stomach on the floor with her feet dangling in the air. Seth patted the seat next to him. Bella shook her head. Leah huffed and rolled her eyes.

"The kid's not going to rape you, you idiot. You look like a twelve year old, what kind of pedophiles do you think are around here?" Bella didn't think he was going to do anything sexual to her. But she had heard of the saying an eye for an eye. That seemed an apt issue right now. She hadn't witnessed men shrug off their friend losing their eyesight. He was bound to seek vengence. Bella didn't react to Leah's words.

"So, you need fattening up then huh?" Seth asked with a mischievous grin. "Mom's gonna be baking! I'm going to be spending my free time around the Hell Cat being fattened up." Bella blinked. That didn't sound good.

* * *

"Harry wouldn't like it if he was still alive. He'd never have approved." Billy reiterated sitting in his living room. Joshua and Quil Sr were set on this plan. But neither of them had their own daughters. They couldn't see what Billy saw. This was immoral.

"The Makah's pack grows, the Cullen Coven grow without breaking the treaty. We will need a stronger pack in future geneations. At some point, we should have the strength and numbers to confidently break the Cullen treaty and chase them out of the Olympic Peninsula permanently. We need to secure more territory. Makah territories grow while ours diminish. We have something they do not. Do you honestly believe that they wouldn't do the exact same thing in our position?" Quil Sr insisted. The man was always comparing their lot to their neighbours. There wasn't a point in comparing lots. Just live your own life and enjoy your own lot in life. That was how Billy viewed things. Stubbornly if you asked Quil Sr.

"And who would you have commit the final act?" Billy spat at him. Joshua recognized that Quil Sr was pushing too hard. This was not the direction the conversation should be taking if they hoped to convince Billy. He scrambled to redirect the focus on the positive outcomes.

"We'll worry about the details later Billy." Joshua frantically inserted. But Quil Sr didn't take the hint.

"It wouldn't be committing anything. It would be an honour in our pack to aid our tribe." Quil Sr pushed. Joshua wanted to bang his head against a wall and Quil Sr's stupidity.

"If participants were so willing, why did you find drugs to keep wolves from phasing? Shouldn't a wolf only stop phasing willingly?" Billy pushed back. This conversation had been taking place over the past year. Billy wanted to be over and done with it. Seeing aggressive human 2.0 Bella had only spurred on Joshua and Quil Sr. They had found her inspiring if not painful. Average humans were capable of more. So were the wolves. They simply needed to harness it.

"It's not that easy to simply stop phasing. Help might be needed. Now it would be better if we had an Alpha volunteer Billy. But I understand that you may be a less willing participant. So we could always ask Jake to fulfill this duty for you." Quil Sr offered. "This could be his first step on the road to Alpha. You said yourself that you want to stop phasing. Why not begin preparations for him to take your place?" Billy thought carefully. He was tired.

"We will not take anything by force. We will bring them in and discuss this 'opportunity' and explain our reasoning. I will not have words such as honour or duty used in this discussion. Is that understood?" Billy barked at them. Quil Sr and Joshua shrank at his hostility. In the years they knew him, he was even handed and light hearted. Even after losing Sarah. They rarely saw displays like this.

"But they'll probably say no. They need to understand the importance of this opportunity. It might not happen again." Quil Sr whined. Billy rolled his eyes.

"It might not even make any difference for all you know." Billy huffed and left the room. This conversation was over.


	4. Deep As Bathtubs

Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine.

**The Unscrupulous Council **

**Deep As Bathtubs**

AN: There has to be consequences involved in having a child living nomadically for eleven years. And this is where it has hit her self-esteem. Hope readers enjoy. **  
**

Chapter 3

Bella had spent the better part of two hours watching Seth Clearwater playing videogames and Leah Clearwater acting emo listening to emo music writing in her emo journal. Who even knew what her problem was. She had eaten, drunk lots of water and bored herself silly. She wasn't used to sitting around. She had started pacing sometime ago. She quietly migrated to the backyard and decided to see how quickly she could climb the house.

Being permanently broke, unable to afford so much as a bike or even a skateboard to pass the time she had had to be more inventive. She'd learned parkour from runaway teenagers starting when she was nine years old. She'd hang around outside while Renee found odd jobs to keep gas in the car and food in the their stomachs. She wasn't an expert by any means, but it was a cheap adrenalin rush. One of the few things that she could afford to do. She had also found other cheap thrills to keep her entertained, but this one had held her attention longest.

She looked around to make sure that no one was watching. Then she took a run to kick up off the shed back to the house and pop vaulted to the roof. She almost didn't quite make it and had to muscle-up the rest of the way. Standing on the roof she wanted to kick herself. Bella decided to try again and see if she could do it in two motions. She lached down to the ground and rolled once safely into her landing. She took another run at the shed kicking off and pop vaulting to the roof of the house. She didn't quite make it but was closer this time if only a little disappointed that she had to muscle-up onto the roof.

"For a human, that's pretty cool." Leah's voice was glib. Bella yelped in surprise almost falling off the roof. Leah snorted in response. They eyed each other quietly.

"I've seen this on MTV before. I think they called it Freerunning." Seth commented. Bella frowned but then shrugged. Did it really matter if they didn't know she preferred parkour? It didn't. She jumped off the roof landing the on the ridge of the shed. She catwalked long the ridge before jumping down to the ground. So much for her quiet and alone practice time. She slipped between the siblings bodies and returned indoors for more boredom. It's not like she could play with them. She couldn't compete with werewolves.

"Bella, you like cheap thrills? I have one for you." Seth spoke behind me. She turned to look at him with curiousity. Leah and Seth grinned at each other.

"We've got a live one here." Leah said.

"Mom, we're taking Bella out." Seth yelled as Leah led the way out. Bella followed her but Leah moved fast, to make up for Leah's speed, instead of running down and around the path, she speed vaulted over the low fence. The rest of the distance was simply a road. She ran almost at a sprint to keep up with Seth and Leah but soon had to accept defeat and slow down. She knew she wouldn't be able to keep up with them, but she didn't want to be accused of being slow even for a human. They had been running up a hill near the coast line that didn't seem to end. After a few miles, they finally slowed to a stop.

"Jump!" Leah yelled and then ran a cliff ledge before leaping over the edge. Bella's stomach dropped. Water? She had no idea how to swim. Seth quickly caught the look on her face.

"You don't like heights huh?" Bella rolled her eyes. As if. She took a deep breath and opened her mouth for the first time since her mother died.

"The deepest body of water I've been in was a bath." Seth smiled.

"You can't swim?" Bella huffed. What did he think? She learned how to swim in a bathtub?

"Do you want to jump?" Seth asked me. She wondered why he would think she would jump. She didn't want to drown.

"I'll do the swimming. Do you want to jump?" He asked her again. She hide her smile. Of course she wanted to jump. He held out his hand. She hesitantly took it. She thought to herself that he had better not drown her or she'd haunt him. Together they ran for the edge and threw themselves away from the edge. Bella was decidedly more afraid of drowning than she was of the sensation of falling. Her brain flew into overdrive imagining Seth leaving her in the ocean to drown. She was so scared of drowning her breath was sucked out of her and she fell silently. Just as she sensed she was about to hit the water, she felt Seth pull her over him so that his body hit the water first. Hitting the water from this height was so much harder than she had imagined. It felt more solid than liquid. It was freezing. She felt her body being pulled back up fast but she was a good distance under water. She didn't know how to open her eyes under water and didn't know how much longer she would be under for. Panic his her and she took a breath to scream underwater. Icy cold liquid spilled into her lungs. Seth broke them through the surface to find her coughing up water and looking a mess.

"Are you okay?" Seth asked. She struggled to take a breath in with water still in her lungs.

"She sure screwed that up." Leah asked, half interested.

"She talked up on the cliff. She said the deepest water she's ever been in was a bathtub. I'm not sure what's wrong with her now. Nothing bad happened." Seth was pulling her to shore with Leah following lazily alongside him.

"She told you she can't swim. I'll place bets that she panicked and breathed water. She's coughing up water. Dumbass." Once on shore Bella fell on all fours coughing and pluttering still. This settled it. She would never go into the water again. It was a death trap. Stick to riding on the top of trains. Bella and water would never been friends. Once she had recovered her breath, she headed back towards the Clearwater home.

"Why doesn't she know how to swim?" Seth asked Leah. Leah looked at him incredulously and then rolled her eyes before following begrudgingly after weak girl.

"I'm sure she had a Y to go to every week while living on the run for as long as she can remember. Hell Cat!" Leah said sarcastically.

When they got back she took a shower and sunk into the hot water using liberal amounts of soap, shampoo and conditioner. It was magical. Soon there was a knock on the door. Leah and Seth were waiting. She rinsed conditioner out of her hair thoroughly and got out and dried herself off. She pulled out clothes from her back pack and gagged out at the clothes. She decided showing less of herself and her personality was the best thing she could do right now. This was not the time to show her crap fashion sense. She'd never claim to be stylish. But she had grown accustomed to castoffs and knew how to make do. Entirely new outfits just weren't her forte.

She sat in Seth's room and pulled out her beaten up old walkman. She only had old skool punk tapes. Dead Kennedy's, Bad Religion and a bad copy of Rage Against the Machine. Renee certainly hadn't focused on their feminine side over the years. They made it through life day to day. Sometimes they settled into a city scape for a few months or towns for a few weeks. But Renee was set on keeping them moving. Never so much as risking putting Bella in school. With Renee's instruction, Bella's reading was her best asset at about a sixth grade comprehension level, she had done well all things considered. Reading came naturally to her but she didn't tend to read in her free time. Her second best skill was math. When it came to money, it was important to know when someone was ripping you off. The rest of Bella's education came to a dead halt. Bella was keenly aware of her lack of education.

They talked about her entering school tomorrow. For the time being she was supposed to be going to La Push because they didn't know how long she would be staying down here. Dread filled her being. She never brought it up around Renee. Months ago she recalled a waitress noticed Bella's secret at a place Bella was washing dishes. The woman had looked at her like she was the dumbest being on the face of the planet when she couldn't multiply five by six. She remembered the moment she choked on her humiliation.

"It's a good thing you're pretty honey. Don't go looking for love, you're not smart enough. Find a rich old man, get a ring and wrap your legs around him. That's honestly the best advice you're gonna get." And those words had haunted her ever since. It wasn't the first time Bella's intelligence had been insulted. She'd heard it enough times for so many years that she believed it. She had dreams of herself grown up looking like a Kelly Bundy with bleached blonde hair. She fought it the only way she knew how. She avoided all things overtly feminine and she took care of herself. She appreciated looking young for age for as long as possible. But the day would come when she was no longer a minor and she'd have to make her way in the world. She didn't want to be homeless like her mother. She wanted a life. But what jobs could she qualify for? She had tried waitressing once but had been outstripped by her lack of math skill once the numbers reached higher numbers. She might have figured it out, but she had frozen in panic that she might get it wrong in front of anyone. Which of course meant that she didn't get a chance to get it right. She would always take the legal option. But how many legal options did she have?

When they asked her about school at CPS, she had told them that she could read and count and that her mother had given her some instruction and that she had attended some school. But she had misled them. It was much worse than they realized. Tomorrow, everyone would find out just how stupid she was and the thought of it was enough to make her cry. They had already found out that she can't swim and Leah had made it clear that she thought Bella was an idiot. She planned to hide in the washroom for the duration of the school day. For now, she listened to California Uber Alles by the Dead Kennedy's and took slow calming breaths.

* * *

The elders thought that Leah didn't know what they were planning. She saw Joshua and Quil Sr eyeing her. At least the Alpha was her allie. He had daughters. Leah believed that Billy would never breed with her for stronger wolves. He was old enough to be her father and before Harry died he was friends with her father. At least, that's what she thought. The looks and Quil Sr's slips when she phased suggested that they were still in talks. Why was this even open for discussion? Embry and Sam were sensitive enough to have an inkling of what was happening. She saw them noticing the same things she noticed. She wondered how much she knew? None of them would dare openly bring it up. The three of them were lower on the pecking chain and it would be unseemly to question the elders of all people. They had absolute authority and power over their lives. The one place the elders had never trodden before was their romantic lives. It had been off limits mostly because the elders didn't want to think about it. That is, until Leah phased. The first female werewolf. That was one honour she could do without.

A part of her wished Sam, her ex-boyfriend, would be more than disturbed by the idea. She wanted him to get angry and come to her rescue guns blazing. But he shared worried looks with her and said nothing and thought little of it. Embry at least growled when he first made a connection. Leah wasn't entirely sure what Embry understood. He might know more than her. He might know less. But he didn't like it and he made it clear enough that he didn't like it. Which was more than Sam had offered. Embry wouldn't question their authority. But he wasn't going to slap on a smile and pretend that it was okay.

Leah sat in her room listening to Rise Against. The one nice thing about this babysitting gig was that she escaped patrols and didn't have to share minds with men and teenage boys. Tonight would be all female. She could appreciate that. Maybe Hell Cat wasn't so bad.

* * *

Seth and Leah had listened to Bella throw up in the bathroom twice before school. She smelled terrified. Her heart was racing and she was sweating. Seth wondered what it was about school that would frighten her so much. Leah contemplated what a wuss she was living with. No men, no water and now it would seem no schools. Then it struck her. Bella was worried about the water because she didn't know how to swim. What were the odds that Bella had spent a day in school before? As they were walking down the street, she watched Bella walking shaky steps.

"You've never been to school before have you Bella?" Leah, never one to beat around the bush came out and asked. Seth's jaw dropped. Bella looked horrified. "That's it, isn't it?"

Bella walked faster not looking back.

"Can you read?" Seth asked. Bella turned around and glared at him indignantly. He put his hands up defensively.

"But are you reading Dr Seuss or Shakespeare?" Leah snickered. Bella's eyes watered, she flipped them her middle finger and ran back past them back into the house.

"Sensitive, ain't she?" Leah was now downright cackling. Seth glared at her and Leah derisively showed insincere embarrassment for her mockery. How could he not see the hopelessness of the girl graduating and getting into college if she was still reading at Dr Seuss level?

"A member of the pack messed up her life. This isn't her shame. This is ours." Seth said sternly holding fists at the side of his body. "We need to get her to the school and talk to the principal or the guidance councellor. It's one thing if I fail because I haven't managed to keep up with my homework. At least I can choose to get my GED. How will she ever support herself? Now, go get her. If I drag her out she'll freak out." Seth said authoritatively. Leah hadn't seen Seth commit to something like this before. It was touching. She felt she should help so she went along with his order and went back into the house to drag Bella out.

With effort, they calmed Bella down and she walked with them. "What haven't you studied?" Seth asked. Bella was quiet. She didn't know but she guessed it was a lot longer than the list of things she had studied. Leah snorted.

"Bella, I'll ask for the shorter list. What do you know of reading, writing and arithmatic?" Again, she got straight to the point. Bella blushed. Seth didn't take that as a good sign.

"Add and subtract. I was told my reading was at a grade six level. I don't think many people can read what I write." Leah fought to keep a straight face while Seth's jaw dropped. Bella's face dropped and she avoided looking at them again.

"Well, it's good that you can read. Renee taught you that much. What about your times tables?" Seth asked encouragingly. Bella's shoulders slumped.

Leah chuckled. "Bella, we should be taking you to elemantary school not high school. Time to start Grade 1." Seth cringed. Bella felt so defalted that she just emotionally checked out at that point. It was hopeless, she really was going to be Kelly Bundy when she grew up. Watching Bella's reaction, Leah felt a drop of guilt for the young girl and backed off. She was used to the cocky personalities in the pack. They bounced back from any shots she made at them. This kid seemed to be taking it to heart. Leah saw the scavenging seagulls in the parking lot and felt guilt realizing that there wasn't much difference between her and the scavengers at this moment.


	5. Sold Out

Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine.

**The Unscrupulous Council **

**Sold Out**

**Chapter 4**

The Guidance counsellor set up testing to figure out where Bella stood. They would make a plan for her to work in with the guidance counsellor for two hours each morning and aside from gym and shop, she had study hall for the rest of the day. Bella spoke two entire sentences during the meeting. Leah observed two things. Bella stops talking when she's anxious. Which seemed to be most of the time. And Bella could balance a pencil on it's tip on her pinky for an indefinite amount of time while she waited for the man to enter things into the computer.

Leah had already graduated but lurked around the school observing Bella out of curiousity and because she had nothing better to do with her time. Billy was sure to send her out on patrol if he found her as he had expected her home during school hours but he hadn't assigned her as of yet. As expected, Bella did well in gym and shop. Although, she didn't appear to be able to name car parts, she did know how to the parts fit together and how they worked. Clearly, it didn't throw off the shop teacher. When she ascertained that she had finished observing Bella, Leah left the school and phased in the woods. Her senses picked up in wolf form and she heard men arguing more than a mile away. She quietly came closer to hear what who it was and what they were saying.

"She'll say no! I won't force it!" Leah could hear Billy saying forcefully. She came just barely close enough to see the three eldest wolves of the pack in human form. Joshua and Quil Sr were pestering Billy.

"But you must! You've seen it for your own eyes. The Makah pack are growing and are beginning to encroach beyond their own borders. You heard Don at the last negotiation. We can't hold them off forever. Every time, they ask for her. They can smell that she isn't already taken." Joshua pressed.

"You don't even have to do it. She'd be more likely to agree to mating with Jake. At least ask her!" Quil Sr was clearly exasperated.

"What are you so worried about? If you're worried they'll get her before she breeds within our tribe or pack, that should be all the more reason to protect her and cherish Harry's daughter and his memory! Not treat her like a thoroughbred bitch!" Billy spat at them.

Leah felt placated that Billy did care. But it hurt that Joshua and Quil Sr must have pressed this for so long. Her Alpha cared though. There was comfort and love and acceptance that her Alpha wasn't handing her over to anyone. Billy had his faults, but he loved his pack. Leah believed he was the best leader. Secrets were shocking amongst the pack. It was difficult to keep a secret and it hurt when someone wished to keep a secret. But Leah understood this one. Her Alpha wouldn't want her to know that two of her superiors cared so little about her wishes. He didn't want to see her feelings get hurt.

"We could solve the problem with the Makah and find out if we can make stronger wolves by simply breeding her with the Black line. Stop buying time. We can't hold off the Makah's forever. They know about the Cullens. You know how it looks from their perspective. Until she breeds, they will be snapping at our heels. Our hold could be weakened at any time. Relations with the Cullens are at an all-time low and the Makah's are just looking for an excuse to raid and take Leah. We face two enemies simultaneously. One skirmish with one party will leave us weakened at the other faction will swoop down and destroy us. We are hanging on by a thread and you worry about petty issues. She is an asset to the pack and we need to use every resource we have available. The sooner we find out if she can produce stronger wolves, the sooner we can be sure of just our precipitous our position is. We aren't a democracy. We are a wolf pack. The security of our tribe and our imprints and our children are our priority. She is a protector. Her duty as protector is simply taking a different form that the rest of the pack. She's the smallest wolf in the pack. She could never take on a vampire single-handedly. The ancestors must have designed her for a reason and it wasn't to battle vampires. Your obstinate resistance to the obvious solution is going to destroy the tribe within this generation. I'm not suggesting you hold her down and have Jake fuck her. We need to present Leah and Jake with all of the information that we have. As leaders, carry much burden. The pack is unaware of many of the problems currently facing the tribe. We want to stop phasing soon. We need to begin the process of handing our burdens over to the next generation. How long can Charlie Swan and Leanne Bengay or the rest of Forks for that matter ignore that the three of us look the same age as our children? We-"Billy held his hand up cutting off Joshua.

Leah felt fear and sorrow hearing the large volume of troubles facing her people. She was a protector, she should know about all of these things. How could they hide all of this information from the pack? They didn't trust her or Jacob to do the right thing. But was the right thing to do having sex with Jacob? She felt a part of jerk away from the idea. He was her pack brother. Her relationship with him was much like her relationship with Seth. The idea made her feel sick. She desperately wished that she hadn't bared witness to this argument. She wished she could hand it all back to the three men. She didn't want any part of it. How could she have sex with Jacob? She couldn't. But if she didn't, would it hurt the tribe? Was this why she was a wolf? For all they knew she couldn't have children. Human doctors had said that she couldn't, but Cullen had suggested otherwise only he had done so without examination. How could he know? Besides, how could they be sure that they would make stronger wolves? And they were talking about her and Jacob! She couldn't see him as anything but her friend and brother. Maybe her future Alpha.

"Enough!" Billy roared causing Joshua and Quil Sr to jump. Leah was jolted even from her distance. "I have heard all of these arguments before. Don't mistake me for a fool. I've seen inside your head. I've seen the two of you watching her. I've been relieved that this isn't simply about you getting in the girl's pants. But you view her as a vessel, as cattle to be traded. You've actually considered _'trading'_ her to the Makah. It's despicable. I worry that if I allow you to share our worries with the pack, you will infect them with your view. As I see your perspective more, I see us losing our principles. Telling them all of this will put pressure on them. They are so eager to please the pack. I wants Jacob and Leah to experience the first time because of a love or an imprint. We will find another answer." The Alpha said with finality.

Joshua and Quil Sr exchanged glances. Billy felt a shift in the air and it wasn't someone phasing and it wasn't the weather.

"We thought you might say that. We met with the council this morning. They agreed with us." Quil Sr spoke dispassionately with a touch of menace. Billy felt a chill creep down his neck. The day came into sharp focus. "It might have been better for Leah had you agreed with us just now." Quil Sr continued before his Alpha interrupted.

"The council met this morning? I was with Sue this morning. We are both on the council. How can the council meet when two of our members weren't even there?" Billy trembled trying to control his hostility. His breath came in pants. Leah shrank from his anger feeling it flowing off him in waves. She felt a shiver in the air as her Alpha came close to phasing.

Quil Sr nodded to Joshua who in turn began to chant. Billy felt his body come to a jarring stop. His trembling stopped and his heat gave way to ice cracking through his being.

"The council didn't used to have wolves. At times, council members are unable to attend and decisions are made in their absence. We agreed and the council called on the Great Wolf for authority. Your phasing will cease. Jacob will take his place as Alpha. You will not influence your son in his rule as Alpha." Billy was choking on his rage. Jacob wasn't ready for the Alpha's power to be handed to him. He was a pup. If the pack were smaller and younger, he could handle this. Concessions would need to be had first.

"Yes Billy. We realize he isn't prepared to take Alpha yet. The pack would overwhelm him right now. Our second will have Alpha and Jacob will take Joshua's position. Once he mates with Leah, his body will mature into his role. Once he has his Alpha female, I will be freed of Alpha. The last command under your authority is that the pack will not think about how your reign ended." For a wolf not designed to be Alpha, the weight of the position would drag him down considerably. It would be bondage for the second wolf to carry the burden.

Leah began to shake with fear. She wanted her Alpha, she was loyal to Alpha. Her loyalty to her Alpha, was beginning to freeze her. She felt the cold begin to crack through her body. Instinctually she knew, a new Alpha was being instated by force. Until she accepted the new Alpha, she would be locked here. The rest of the pack felt the same wherever they were. She felt their connection and the cold was becoming unbearble. She felt the bonds holding the pack to Billy, their wise and strong Alpha shatter like frozen ropes. She felt like a ship caste to sea for a moment before the shallow bond to her new Alpha came. Their Alpha was now Joshua. Billy looked hurt and betrayed. But Leah couldn't think for the life of her why that would be? He had reigned well. But now they had a new Alpha.

"You will pay for this." Billy growled, but the double timbre of his voice was only a whisper of what it had been. He felt like he had just been neutered. Rage and humiliation flowed through him. "You can't do this to Leah." He said with realization.

"We will give her a choice. We couldn't decide which solution was better. We don't want to physically force the girl to have sex. Only there will be consequences if she says no." Joshua and Quil Sr snickered.

Leah felt a knot in her stomach twisting and wrenching through her. She held herself still, willing her feet not to move. Not to run away from the horror before her.

"What will happen?" Billy asked, fear crushed his chest.

"We've worked out a trade with the Makah that we will complete in our next negotiations. They wanted to see her extracted first to prove ourselves capable. Leah would be our trade. We aren't to be held morally responsible if they rape her. You should feel sorry for Jake though. I'm ordering him to find a mate before the month is through if she rejects him."

Billy dropped his face into his hands. How could he have been so foolish? How did he not see this coming? How had he failed so horribly?

"We tried to reason with you for months. We are protectors. We will protect."

Leah threw up into her mouth but forced herself to swallow it back down. They couldn't miss the smell of vomit in the air even in human form. She couldn't alert them of her presence. She didn't know which was worse. Having sex with a boy she viewed as her brother or being handed over to their rivals? What would the Makah do? Would they be more generous than Joshua and Quil Sr? How could they trade her like livestock? She fought back a sob. The three men continued to talk, but Leah couldn't listen to anymore. She quietly stepped back slowly to make sure she didn't alert them of her presence and eventually broke into a run.

She had to get to Jacob before the men phased. She needed to speak with Jacob before they knew that she knew what had happened. She didn't even register their betrayal of Billy due to the last command used by Joshua under Billy's authority. The pack would never think on how Billy left the Alpha position. She sprinted throught the woods, leaped over an arterial road without checking for traffic and finally came to the Black house. She phased to human and ran into the house without putting on her clothes first.

"Leah! We know you're hot stuff but put some clothes on!" Quil Jr yelped in surprise. Quil Jr, Sam and Jacob were on the couch playing video games. Emily worked during the day so when Sam finished chores in the morning, he patrolled and hung out with the pack. Leah pulled her shorts and shirt from her strap and dressed as she talked.

"The three of you, in the woods right now! Run! We need to get some distance in human form before they get here. You need to know before they can say anything. We've got a problem." Leah was shaking with fear as the knot in her stomach twisted harder. The guys jumped up in concern.

"What's the matter?" Asked Jacob.

"Did someone hurt you?" Growled Sam.

"..." Quil tried to say something but he was still fighting an erection that had began with Leah running into Jacob's house naked. She was clearly upset and he expected she wouldn't be comforted by a hard on from a younger pack brother.

Leah grabbed the hand of the young man standing closest and started running for the door. They followed her as she half ran and half stumbled battling sobs. They ran through the forest for ten minutes before Leah finally came to a stop. They young men watched as she fiercely fought back her emotions battling for dominance over her pain and fear.

"I phased after leaving Seth and Bella at school. From a distance, I heard the old guys arguing in human form. I eavesdropped. They argued about making stronger wolves. They think I'll make purer wolves for the tribe. Stronger wolves. They are under pressure from the Makah and from the Cullens. Then Billy left the Alpha position. I think you probably felt the change of Alpha's. Joshua is Alpha. He is going to give me an ultimatum. I mate with the Billy's heir or the pack trades me in the next negotiations with the Makah. The Makah seem to think I'll be a good baby maker. I don't understand. They can't know if I can have children or if two werewolves will make stronger wolves. And I can't go to the Makah. And no offense Jake, but having sex with you would be like having sex with Seth. It's just wrong. And I want to have kids with a man I'm in love with. I'm not ready to be a mother. And Jake, you don't even get a choice. You don't even get an ultimatum. You have to mate with me if I agree or find a mate by the end of the month because Joshua can't carry the Alpha for long." Leah raced to say all of this so quickly that the guys could hardly keep up.

They were silent as the processed the information. They wanted to to ask if she was joking. Only they knew she wasn't. Leah could be sarcastic and bitchy. But she wasn't one to pull pranks on people. She always told you exactly how she saw things. Leah became frustrated with their silence as they chewed on the information she had given them.

"What do we do?" She wailed throwing her hands up in the air and dropping them in emphasis.

"Sam, if they breed me and Jake, what's next? What other lines will they cross? Help me!" Leah had been sold out.

* * *

When Seth came out of school, he saw Brady and Collin. They made eye contact. They had a new Alpha. They started to ponder why when the thought was cut short and new thoughts occured to them. The three boys stood out front of the school watching the stream of students exiting the building in mass exodus waiting for Bella. He then smelled her, but from the woods but something was off. He shared looks with Brady and Collin.

"That's not good." Collin commented. Seth scowled. He didn't approve. They ran into the woods, near the edge. A group of teenagers smoked a joint. Seth, Brady and Collin stood over Bella as she faced away from her. She reeked of marijuana.

"Bella, you smoke pot?" Seth asked. She looked up at him pushing her head all the way back. She giggled before looking stern.

"You're upside down! Get down from there!" She growled at him. Brady smothered a chuckle. The other teenagers saw the giant young men. Well known for being a part of the "protector's" the group scrambled to their feet and muttered goodbyes scattering as fast as possible.

"What. are. you. doing?" Seth asked equally as sternly as Bella hard ordered him to get down. Bella fell backwards trying to view him above and behind her. She landed on Seth's feet and felt the world spin out of control. Seth helped her back into a seated position.

"I'm talking! Iz hard to talk with all nerves. Don't make friends quiet. That didn't make sense. I'll try again." She paused for moment and blew a raspberry before talking. "A little MJ and my mouth moves. Done it lots of times. Trust me, it works!" She stopped talking and grinning and looked around clearly nervous. "Where did everyone go? I don't know my way around here. I'm lost! I'm gonna die in the woods all alone Seth! We you stay with me until help arrives?" Her fear died down and a sly grin creased her face. "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Her hands roamed up Seth's leg as she used him to pull herself to her feet. She felt a dark weight over her forehead almost taking her vision but adding a cheered view of the world. It was like being happy and mello but very tired.

"They left me Seth. The assholes left taking with them the BC herb. Could have at least left me some." She muttered. Seth chuckled and put his arm around her shoulders. She didn't seem to be aware that she had done anything wrong.

"What were Renee's rules about drugs Bella?" Seth asked as he led her home. He watched her drag the heels of her feet along the ground as she walked. She looked so childlike. It was disturbing to see a girl who didn't quite look old enough to be a teenager high on drugs. It might have seemed funnier if she didn't look like just a young girl.

"Only if it grows. No chemicals. So sh'rooms, pot and hash. But tobacco has too many chemicals. Renee preferred pot. Why?" Collin and Brady sniggered. Seth sighed, irritated that this even required discussion. He looked at Collin and Brady and gave them the evil eye. They scrambled away.

"Sue won't allow drugs. Not just unnatural drugs. Unless it's doctor prescribed or low dose pain killers like aspirin, you can't do drugs while you're living with us. Besides, I'll bet that Charlie feels the same way." He paused to look her in the eye to check that she understood this rule.

"Really? Man, that's harsh. When will I talk?" Bella asked hanging onto Seth looking small pressed into his side.

"You used to talk around your Mom when you were sober." Seth pointed out but Bella shrugged unperturbed.

"Not really. I don't want to say anything dumb. But I have an excuse if I say something dumb when I'm high." Seth rubbed his forehead wondering if wolves got headaches, but this girl was pressing his buttons.


	6. Cleansed

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Cleansed**

AN: I decided that Forks and La Push are not as safe and happy place as Alice saw in her visions when was newborn in SM's world. Alice would have settled with Jasper in a happier place, like Denali.

Chapter 5

Sam looked just as panicked as Leah. He wasn't going to be much help. Jake ran his hands through his hair and began to pace. The others moved aside. Their eyes following him like spectators following a tennis match.

"Shit!" He breathed. "Let's think about this guys. What ammo do we have?" He looked around at the group. They were nonplussed. He felt an instant of aggrevation at their childlike bewilderment. More specifically Sam who had been something of a young mentor being in a similar position as Jacob but a few years ahead of Jake. He expected more from him. But he pushed his annoyance to one side to focus on the problem.

"As soon as we see Joshua, he can order us to do whatever he wants. But we can make pack life difficult now and in the future. As soon as he became Alpha, he committed to me taking over soon." Jacob didn't like that idea. He didn't want to take on this large and powerful pack. His father and his family had been all consumed by the pack since it grew from three men and became a force all of it's own. He wasn't sure how his father had carried this burden but instinctively knew that the wolf carried the burden, Jacob's wolf was bred to lead as Alpha. Joshua's was not.

"He'll collapse under the weight all too soon. He won't want to push me too far, once I'm Alpha, I'll have power over him." He was silent for a moment and paused during pacing and crossed his arms over his chest considering actions and consequences. "That can mean things go one of two ways. We can say no with complete resolve and he'll decide to gamble everything on black. That would make things worse for Leah. Honestly Leah, my wolf influences me so much that my human side I can't not want children. I think the same is true for the other guys. It's only the fact that it would hurt you that discourages that notion. I won't suffer anything in this aside from watching my pack sister being hurt." He looked at her apologetically. Clearly Joshua and Quil Sr knew his instincts would overide any human concerns about mating.

"Or we could attempt to negotiate this. If we negotiate this, we need to know what our priorities are. Leah, tell me your thoughts." Jacob had spoke his thoughts aloud. He purposely thought aloud as he was used to sharing his thoughts with the pack and he wanted them to understand his reasoning. This was the most stressful problem he had faced in his life. He tried to approach the problem openly with his audience as he did not want to make unilateral decisions the same way that Billy made his decisions. He would not be the same leader as his father.

He watched Leah as she took a deep breath. "I'm scared of being handed over to the Makah. It hurts that my Alpha views me as chattel to be bartered." Her voice cracked with pain. "I'm not ready to be a mother. At this point in my life, I believe that I would only abort. But I don't know how I'd react for sure." Jacob's wolf reacted internally to the idea of a mate destroying his progeny and he pulled back on his instinctual reaction. He paid attention to her words imagining his foot on his wolfs neck to keep it at bay.

"I never considered before that an Alpha would claim control over my body." As she said the last sentence he knew that when he became Alpha, this would be an open wound that he would have to contend with. She would probably fear the pack claiming control over her integrity in future. But at least he would be forewarned.

Leah had spoken calmly and concisely letting Jacob's calm and collected response to the turn in events influence her. She wasn't sure what order her priorities were in. But examining them in front of her pack brothers helped return a semblence of trust in her pack. Even if Joshua and Quil Sr didn't care. These three young men cared. She wasn't alone in this battle. Her pain was their pain. She paused to look at Jacob.

"I feel violated already. The moment I found out his plan, that he is Alpha and not having control over his decision, simply speaking his decision and the council's choice out loud, I felt violated. When this is over, I want them to pay." Her motives were clear, but her implications were abstruse. "As new Alpha, Would you make sure that they never do anything like this again?" Quil Jr flinched but couldn't argue. He was beginning to realize that his father was corrupt as he considered other things about his life. Sam felt what Leah felt. Leah may have been his ex-girlfriend, but he felt possessive of her still. That his father would do this to Leah was beyond the pale. Leah watched Jacob's face intensely.

"They are our strongest wolves now that we have lost Billy. We need a strong front against the Makah and the Cullens. I am only as strong an Alpha as my pack. I will bind them from further harm amongst our ranks and within our people. They are traitors and they will not enjoy the same freedoms that they have enjoyed under my father. I will have to consider penalties at a later time. Our priorities are elsewhere right now. I need to know what your thoughts are on sex." Sam stiffened at the word. This was where his possessiveness met him strongly. He held a tight reign on his instincts. He remembered that Leah was not his and held onto that thought. "Is there a situation that would be comfortable for you that would make you more willing to mate?" He asked as gently as possible. Leah stepped back defensively. He tried to frame the question more specifically.

"I don't believe they would really insist that they need me to do this. They could find out from any one of the pack if two wolves make a stronger child. If Sam is able despite his imprint, would that work for you?" He stepped forward placing a reassuring hand on her arm. She gulped. At one time, she would have loved to lose her virginity to Sam, but not anymore.

"No. He rejected me for Emily. That would hurt too much. He would be one of the worst options." She said feeling Sam's eyes on her. She didn't want to say that she also feared that it would physically hurt him. It would be upsetting to find out if touching her hurt him.

"Is there another pack member you could consider? I need to know if this is an option during negotiations. Would this be easier with Quil Jr or Embry or Jared, one of the guys?" Jacob requested, trying to find a compromise that all parties could agree to.

Leah instinctually recoiled. Her wolf was silent, she didn't like the idea of mating on command anymore than Leah did. Leah sighed. "I guess not. When I think about it, the pack his full of brother and father figures to me. There was Sam, but he would be worse. Given time, a change of perspective might have been possible. But the time frames this would demand just wouldn't realistically give me time to adjust. The best I could imagine is trying to make things clinically and distant." She closed her eyes and tried to picture the least insulting option. But she drew a blank. "If my free will is taken, I just don't want to be a participant."

The three young men looked at her confused by what she meant. But Leah didn't know what she meant.

"Explain." Sam said more abruptly than he meant to. Jacob frowned at Sam's tone but wanted to understand the same thing. Quil Jr had the keen sense of being a spectator and not a participant and felt like he should leave only it would disturb the discussion. He didn't like the implications. Leah struggled to realize her preferences. She finally huffed.

"I don't know. I try to imagine the least upsetting way to do this and I'm drawing a blank. This is a violation of the elders against me. No matter who carried it out, I don't know if I can trust them again. Does that make any sense?" Leah asked earnestly looking into Sam's eyes. Jacob was beginning to understand this more.

"I don't want one of my pack mates to forever be subjected to your wrath Leah." He said with a smile. Leah laughed. Sam was tense having been subjected to Leah's wrath and intense dislike before. "In that case, I won't suggest another wolf in negotiations. There's no point if you don't think it will help. What other terms would you want to negotiate then?" Jacob asked her.

"Leah, I'm more interested in what you would like him to do to you while you're out?" Quil Sr chuckled darkly.

The group jumped, startled by his presence. Joshua and Quil Sr were standing in front of them.

"Fuck you!" Leah growled. Sam, Jacob and Quil Jr pressed her back behind them defensively.

Quil Sr opened his mouth to speak but Joshua placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Not now Quil. It seems our eavesdropper has made her decision." Joshua spoke resolutely. "You prefer Jacob over the Makah and I can't say I blame you. Leah, you can't conceive while you're still phasing. We've done the math and it should take about a week." Leah was confused what he meant. What would take a week? Joshua spoke in Alpha timbre. "Leah, you will not phase for the following year."

Leah instantly felt like her wolf had been bound and gagged. Quil Jr caught her as she felt her knee's buckle. Sam and Jacob stood defensively in front of her still, not seeing her collapse under the weight of his order.

"We did some research, before the end of the week you won't be healing fast. So, try to be careful and I mean you guys too. Talking to other packs, she is worth as much as freshly whelped Alpha. You won't like what we do if you damage her. Returning to human is faster when the wolf is put away under orders." Joshua spoke frankly and decidedly coldly.

Jacob and Sam began to shake. "When I become Alpha, you will be sorry about this." Jacob growled.

Quil Sr laughed. "Before you become Alpha, you will go into rut when Leah ovulates and Joshua will clean the packs memory as per the councils decision. Billy always did love to clean the packs memory. It's so frustrating to watch him screw around with you youngsters like that. He tried to clean memories of Sam leaving Leah but that was too messy to clean up."

Jacob felt the seed of doubt planted in his view of his fathers integrity and leadership. _Cleaning their memories? What else didn't they know about?_ Fear and doubt entered his mind. He had been confident that he'd probably find a solution until now. He had been confident that he had always found a way. But if his mind had been _"cleansed"_, maybe there were times that he hadn't found a way and he simply didn't remember. Of course he had taken time to ask Leah's priorities for worst case scenario's. But if their memories were being cleansed, what could he trust?

* * *

"Come on! Someone play with me!" Seth whined from the living room.

Bella looked at him funny from the kitchen table over her school books. He was supposed to be helping her with her school work. Sue and Charlie didn't trust that she would be responsible to make sure she did her work seeing as she had so little experience with doing homework and using self-discipline in their opinion. And yet here she was doing her homework without aid and she knew that he had homework he hadn't touched this entire weekend. He had been busy with other things. Leah held her typical spot in the armchair, sprawled out reading listening to music. She had been moody and untalkative as Bella had observed her.

"Do you mind? I'm practicing writing the letter b." A guilty look passed Seth's face watching Hell Cat concentrating over lined paper. He jumped up from the living room floor leaving the controller on the floor and joined her at the table.

"What does your handwriting look like?" He asked. She shoved a work book at him. Seth flipped through the first three pages of math work. Light pen scratches resembled childlike scribbles and early math problems that he knew were too easy for her. She really had never had the chance to learn the fine motor control to hold pen to paper and make shapes on a page. He wondered if her drawing was any better. He closed the book and put it back on the pile. Her homework didn't have thick textbooks and looked less intimidating than his, but he suspected that she had a harder time with her homework than he had with his.

"I should do my homework." He sighed before heading to the door to pick up his backpack and bring it to the table. I plunked his calculus textbook on the table and Bella watched wide eyed as he pulled out his binder and supplies setting to work. He flipped the thick text book open to the page he needed and set to work. Bella noticed her jaw gaping and closed her mouth and decided to ignore what looked like an impossible workload that Seth was working on. She determinedly set herself back to her own work blinking back tears and foreboding. How would she ever get to the point that she would open a textbook that size and look at the work non-chalantly as Seth did? She couldn't imagine. But she reminded herself, at some point, Seth had been learning how write letters on a page. She had to start somewhere. She pressed her pencil against the page harder, deciding that she would get the next letter right. She was trying not to erase mistakes, it tempted her to use light pencil marks so that it would be easier to erase later. She would own her mistakes like she did in the rest of her life.

They continued to sit, side by side working in silence for an hour. The sun rose high in the sky and Seth slammed his book with finality.

"Lunch time!" he announced. He observed quietly that in the three weeks that she had been her, she was improving already. With his keen wolf eyes, he could see that she had put on a small amount of weight on. Her hair was picking up a healthier sheen and her skin wasn't looking so pasty. It made her more attractive and seem less childlike. He had thought she would fight him over not being allowed drugs. But she had taken it in stride. She took most things stride. The only thing she didn't react well to was feeling threatened or cornered. Which was reasonable by his estimations.

He found it funny that she was oblivious of all that was happening in the pack right now. Outside of the Clearwater siblings, she didn't have contact with the pack.

She did have a knack for finding trouble. She still hung out with kids that were doing drugs at school and spent free time with them. It was strange that she seemed to want an education and knowledge, but she hung around the kids smoking, doing drugs and drinking. She probably wanted to know at least as much as they did. Being as she looked twelve, they seemed to take her in with them with amusement and fondness. She spoke little and they drew comparisons to her and Kevin Smith's Silent Bob character as her face was expressive enough as it was. He didn't like Hell Cat hanging out with these kids. They would probably drop out of high school and live on government aid drinking and smoking weed on the rez for the next ten to forty years until they died an early death due to mistreating their bodies. Annoyingly, she seemed to look up to these kids who were no more than a year or two older than her. She certainly didn't like the pack. She associated them fear. She had warmed to Leah and Seth, but that's where the line was drawn. She had been invited to barbeques and a bonfire but she refused to attend events that would contain the pack. She avoided them, so half of the pack had never met her. When she did see them, she avoided eye contact.

This had been funny because Collin was set on meeting his imprint and had stalked her trying to make eye contact with her until she broke a vase over his head.

It was probably a good thing that she had little contact with the pack. She was avoiding a lot of drama currently. If only she would pick a better group to hang out with at school.

As they ate sandwiches, Leah dropped her book to one side and stood by them watching quietly for a moment.

"I'm still not happy about last night. You won't do that." Leah announced. Seth's breath caught. She caught trouble wherever she went.

"What were you up to last night Hell Cat?" Seth was afraid to ask. She said nothing, avoiding eye contact. He wouldn't like this.

"She was showing her friends how to stop an elevator between floors, climb on top and ride them from the outside. I think this one was worse than the riding on the top of the trains last week. Stick with the Freerunning. That's bad enough as it is." The nice thing was that they only had to tell Bella once. But it seemed she found a new death defying stunt each week to play with. She was creative at finding ways to keep herself busy.

"How did she find elevators in La Push?" Seth asked, he knew they didn't have any and the kids didn't have a car.

"Port Angeles. They stole a parents car and drove off without telling anyone." Seth turned a glare on Bella causing her to shrink away from him. She didn't think it was any of their business.

"Don't!" Bella growled defiantly.

"How have you lived this long?" Seth asked incredulously.

Leah pulled up Bella's sleaves. "Look at all the scars. She's had a ton of stitches and I'd venture to say she's had some broken bones. She hasn't come out unscathed."

"But I live. Renee was working. I found cheap ways to keep busy." They were dusmayed.

"I think Mom needs to talk to Charlie about this." Leah determined. Seth nodded in agreement.

"Bella, no riding in stolen cars." She nodded quietly.


	7. Engines

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Engines**

**Chapter 6**

The Council discussed the clinic amid tensions. There was an elephant in the room that no one was discussing. Sue found it quite pleasant. As the only female council member and her daughter being the only female wolf, there was something satisfying about winning against these bullies. Unfortunately, at times Harry hadn't always been any better than the rest of them. He had improved with age and wisdom. Just as Billy had become fairer with age and wisdom. In the process of defeating the latest disastrous plan created by the council, Leah had one year of freedom from the pack. And apparently one year of fertility. Sure enough, her period had come and she had the option of having a pregnancy before the year was up or wait until she had the strength to stop phasing. It was nice to have the reassurance that Leah wasn't permanently infertile as a wolf.

"We will end up with our clinic spreading into three portables within ten years. This just isn't acceptable. We need to shift the funds from elsewhere or run a fund raising drive. Or we could try both. I see our birth rate increasing, this clinic is going to see more growth while Forks is shrinking. We have to be prepared for Forks shutting down their hospital or drastically cutting back as their numbers decline. We need a long term solution to the clinic. We already have plans drawn up for a larger building. We need to find the funds and move this along." Sue presented her argument.

Quil Sr was openly hostile and snorted. She knew it had nothing to do with the clinic. Quil Sr didn't like assertive women. His imprint relationship was different from others. Usually the pack were practically slaves to their imprint, his imprint was the submissive domestic type. She could see there was an imprint, but it was odd.

"Quil, do you have a problem with my proposal? If you do, rather than disparage them, why don't you share your thoughts on the problems you foresee?" Sue confronted him.

"A fundraiser won't make a dent in the how much your proposal will cost without someone who can make large contributions. So what interesting little changes are you suggesting we make to our budget to cover this?" Quil Sr said sardonically.

"What makes you assume that we won't find major contributors? Who have you asked?" Sue had been a part of the council since her husband had died and her two children had become pack members. But she had limited herself to showing up for pack matters in the beginning. This was her second meeting about the running of the reservation and already, she was throwing herself behind a proposal. She had done her homework, but she either wasn't aware of their previous attempts to raise funding or she possibly thought their attempts had been inadequate. This exasperated Quil Sr's resentment that she was present at all. He considered defenestrating her from the meeting being held on the second floor. Women could be annoying little things in his eyes, that were easily overpowered. Somehow, he had to live in a time when they had been handed too much power. He belonged to a different day and age. He growled at her resisting the urge to throw her far away from here.

The room was quiet but moved onto other things. Sue bit back a smirk. She knew she would take the blame for Jacob's successful resistance to the Councils plans. It had been the plan of men who just didn't think things through carefully. How did they fail to consider that Jacob would simply take Alpha before they could force him to mate with Leah? A week? A lot can happen in a week. Idiots. And how did Leah and Jacob and Sam fail to realize this on their own? She thought the children were smarter than the old men. It was good that Quil Jr had been brave enough to come to Sue with what was happening after Jacob and Leah had been given a gag order. Sam was his fathers son and didn't even think for a moment that Sue would have a solution. There are more ways than one to mature a young wolf into his natural position. Old men were quick to assume maturity coming with sex. And to corner her daughter like this? Where was their respect for women? Would they do this to their imprints? To their daughters? She bit back her anger. It was enough that they had failed. She took comfort in the knowledge that Billy, Jacob, Sam and Quil Jr had made it clear that they did not agree with the rest of the council.

After taking his rightful position Jacob had offered the Alpha back to Billy, but he had been Alpha for thirty years. He was content to see his own son step into the role after what he viewed as his own failure. Besides, Jacob had been Alpha and any amount of time would mean that there were two official Alpha's. It was bad enough that Joshua was struggling to cage his short lived status. After all of this, Joshua might have to leave the pack if he did not find control.

It did not escape Sue's attention that Billy had not attended the meeting today. He was resigning himself to only pack business. The difference being that Sue planned to participate in the rest of the meetings when she done her homework and some research. Which now done, she had taken her place. Billy was avoiding it because he was upset. And that struck Sue as weak. She expected more from the elder and she would have to tell him that. The meeting carried on. Sue was confident that she had some fresh ideas on how to fundraise for the clinic. She had pushed Quil Sr far enough for one day. She would bide her time.

They shouldn't have wolves on the council. Everytime they disagreed with the wolves you had to consider that they might blow up and kill someone. This was no way to run a council.

* * *

Seth watched Hell Cat climb further and further out onto the branch trying to remain standing. As any normal human, she wasn't currently aware of his presence. He stalked closer but out of her sight. She was constantly pushing her boundaries. Her movements were surprisingly agile and cat like for a human. He was certain that before he phased, he would have been out of his league trying to pull many of the stunts she pulled. Even now, he was much too heavy for this branch. He expected it to snap at any time and she was standing on it as it bent lower and lower. Finally, the branch dropped down and she landed on her toes on the next branch down in an impressive display of balance.

"Why don't you roller blade or do something normal in your free time Hell Cat?" Bella looked down at him, marginally surprised to see Seth there. Leah was talking to a friend further up the beach. Seth appeared out of nowhere frequently. She didn't have babysitters as a kid, but she was starting to get used to having someone watching out for her at all times. Annoying. Bella shrugged in answer to his question. She had never owned roller blades. Why would she start now? Climbing trees didn't seem like such a bad way to kill time. No one had tried to tell her it was too dangerous and it was free and it was challenging.

Bella recognized the sound of a V8 engine coming up the road. She scrambled higher up the tree to get a better look. Seth regarded her behaviour. He had noticed she looked at cars but hadn't given it much thought before. This was the first time he saw her reaction to a muscle car. She saw the Dodge Charger park up and dropped down from the tree. He could hear her breathing pick up and saw her pupils grow wider. Her face was a calm mask, but her breathing and pulse and pupils told Seth she liked it. He hadn't seen her like something so much since she got there. She watched from a distance as the owner got out and walked with a young woman down the beach. Once they were out of view, Bella hurried to gaze longingly and traced her fingers down the length of the car in awe.

"You like muscle cars huh?" Seth asked her curiously looking down at her stained and calloused fingers. He had forgotten that Hell Cat used to be the mechanic for her and Renee. She nodded breathlessly. He grinned.

"You work with cars in shop at school." It wasn't a question and she didn't acknowledge him. "You should come and see Jake. He has a garage he works on cars in. I think you'd like working with him. For a girl that's scared to be alone with men, you have a lot of hobbies that men prefer."

Bella shot a disparaging look at him. She'd been working with the child psychistrist and been putting in an effort. She wanted to be strong and this fear was a weakness. She was willing to do what it takes to be braver. "I've gotten better. I just wasn't used to being alone with men without something bad happening. I'm improving." She didn't look away from the car.

"What kind of bad things happened?" Seth inquired cautiously.

She frowned wondering why he was pushing the subject. Aside from some scares, cuts and bruises, Mom never let anything happen. "Mom figured out anything can be used as a weapon and to listen to your instincts. We didn't let anything go further than being hit. Our tactic was to be quick and brutal because we couldn't give them time to overpower us. That's why not much happened aside from being hit or finding out a few intentions. Lately, being here, I don't feel like a...target." She smiled briefly then looked up at Seth. "So will Leah come with us to Jake's garage?" Bella's attention hadn't really left the car during her musings. She'd rather look at the car alone. She moved towards him.

Seth caught a scent nearby. Seth bit back laughter realizing he could smell arousal. "Hell Cat, do cars get you all excited?" He lifted an eyebrow suggestively.

"Fuck off!" She blushed and stomped away back to Leah. No one had caught her getting hot and bothered over a car before. She wondered what gave her away. Seth couldn't decide whether to share with the guys now or wait until it would probably slip while they were phased. Lost in thought about girls and cars and whether he should save up to buy his own car; he looked around. Where did she go? He calmly followed her scent back to the house, inside to the key rack and to the empty driveway.

"Oh shit!" She took Sue's Chevy Malibu. Fifteen year olds shouldn't need babysitter's and they shouldn't know how to drive cars. But then, they shouldn't be homeless for eleven years living outside of social norms either. Hell Cat was going to have to learn some restraint. Or turn into a wolf and Jacob could mentally put her on a leash. Hell, maybe it was time to put a leash on Hell Cat. Inside the house Seth called Jacob and then Sue. Jacob reassured him the guys would find her. His mother gave him flack for losing Bella.

* * *

The moon was out, the rain was lightly drizzling. Jacob saw a small fire carrying two familiar but dissimilar scents on the air. Two scents that he didn't feel should mix. This was a fine time for Hell Cat to show how far she had come in conquering her fears. Or maybe this was being alone in a room with a man. It looked like they were in a clearing underneath a wide night sky. A man, who looked young, but Jacob knew to be much older regaled young Bella with stories and jokes. She mostly listened as was her typical response, but also laughed and smiled. It looked like the scene of a man trying to bed a young woman. Jacob rolled his eyes, Asook was at least forty years old. Whether she went willingly or not legally it was statutory rape. Or was he trying to get information out of her? He didn't know that she knew nothing. He saw a path that probably led to Sue's car.

Jacob had only scene Bella sparingly. She looked like a child. But under the firelight, flirting with this man, she looked like a young woman. Either way, he felt protective of her and Asook was Makah. Jacob didn't believe for a moment that Asok's intentions could be innocent.

_How's our Lolita? _Paul huffed. He was annoyed that they were wasting their time on a fifteen year old runaway. One that knew how to survive on the streets already. The pack had more pressing concerns.

_She's okay for now. I can't tell if he's trying to get information from her or sleep with her. _Jacob observed from a distance. He had arrived from downwind so as not to alert Asook prematurely.

_She won't give him either._ Seth shared a smattering of outlooks that she had shared. _Unless he has a muscle car. _The last thought slipped out and his memory of their last exchange came back.

Jacob slammed down that conversation before it could pick up. The rest of the pack stored that nugget of information away for when she finished puberty.

"So, how's life with the Clearwater's?" Asook asked casually. Bella stiffened and shuffled into a position that she could more readily run from but kept her eyes on Asook. She grabbed a stick and pressed it into the fire fidgeting hesitantly. This was the first time the young man had brought up anything about her own life. She was much more interested and comfortable talking about other peoples lives. What could she really share about her life?

"What do you know about the Clearwaters?" Bella asked.

Seth smirked inwardly. _Hell Cat's showing some loyalty. She's turning the question back on him._

_I wouldn't be too quick to assume that. _Jacob pointed. out. Leah and Seth shrugged. Hell Cat wasn't one to dance around the truth. If she was going to hand over the scoop on the Clearwaters, she would have done it in the first sentence.

"I know that you're staying with them. Why have you abandoned them?" He returned fire.

"I embarrassed myself, dumb reason I know. I'm used to moving on by now, I feel like walls start closing in on me when I stay too long." She shifted awkwardly. Bella felt she was sharing too much. "Why are you interested?"

"Yes, why are you intested?" Jacob had phased and stepped out with Quil and Embry flanking him in wolf form. Asook gave a devilish smile.

Bella jumped up holding a flaming stick backing away from the four of them.

"She's cute. I wanted to play." Asook commented. "Doesn't look like she wants to go with you."

"She's a minor and her father has left her under our care." Jacob took more slow steps towards her.

Bella as she backed away. She winced realizing the flaming stick might hurt Jacob. It was one thing to hurt stranger's attacking you. It was another thing entirely to attack someone who didn't wish to hurt her and that she knew. Jacob didn't miss her fleeting expression.

"Bella, put the stick down. You know we won't hurt you. I've never hurt you." Jacob spoke to her gently.

"You threatened my mother." She pointed out. Asook took all of this drama in greedily. Information was power. Jacob knew he needed to end this soon.

"Quil threatened your mother. Not me, not the rest of us. You're safe. Now put down the flaming stick." Everyone watched her face. Her eyes shifted around the campfire to Asook, Quil, Embry and finally Jacob. She didn't have the heart to hurt either of them. She knew they wouldn't hurt her.

She threw the stick in frustration at the campfire with a low growl. "Fine, but I'm not riding trapped in the car with three giant men. You can follow me driving back." Jacob strode to her holding back his anger towards Asook.

"You'll ride with three giant men or go in the trunk." He could see she was about to throw up a fight but he just didn't have patience for this when their rival watched eagerly at their weakness. "Sorry sugar." He threw her over his shoulder and gave a nod to Asook. Over Bella's screaming he thanked Asook for watching over their charge while she was missing. They walked back to the car where Bella was thrown into the back seat next to a grinning Quil. He sincerely hoped that Claire would have a thing for engines when she grew up. He decided he would start with barbie cars seeing as she liked pink. Bella wasn't noticing Quil's thoughts.

"You've been told not to ride in stolen cars Bella. Seth told me." Jacob said sternly pulling the Malibu onto the road over the noise. "Put your seatbelt on." She couldn't hear him, she was too busy having an episode screaming and kicking and hitting uselessly in the backseat. Quil held her hands in her lap and Embry moved to the backseat to try to sooth her. Eventually fear and exhaustion wore her down and she sobbed the final miles to the Clearwaters. Jacob swallowed back guilt. If he hadn't been under the gaze of his rival, he would have tried gentler means.

**AN: So, I wanted to see Bella's introduction into the pack and some of their concerns. I thought common interests would help. I don't think she'd be quick to accept them. I didn't want her to see Leah being threatened too early into her introduction but there needed to be the tension of corrupt powers at play. I hope you liked it. **


	8. Getting Personal

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Getting Personal**

**Chapter 7**

Bella eventually passed out in Quil's arms like a small child. If she was being honest, she had reached a place with her psychiatrist where she knew that her fear was irrational. The pack were essentially non-threatening even if she disliked them in general. She had progressed to where she was able to react rationnally to a non-threatening male in a room with her. Even if it did feel as though someone had stepped over her grave and her instincts kicked in. She could deny her instinctual reaction. The car didn't feel all that closed in like a room. But that Jacob had taken away her choice and forced her into a car with three men had made it hard to deny her instincts and another part of her rebelled against being told what to do. Her fit in the car had been a combination of fear and a temper tantrum. Not that the pack knew this.

An impromptu meeting started at Johsua's place. Seth and Jacob sat either end of the three seater couch and Quil carried sleeping Bella onto his lap. There was still antagonism between the Alpha and his second in command. Jacob was second guessing whether he should order Joshua and Quil Sr to stop phasing. Jacob drew the meeting to order and discussed Asook. There was discussion regarding a spy, because Asook knew of Bella. Side glances at Quil Sr and Joshua flickered throughout the room.

Conversation flowed to lighter topics and soon the pack were bonding. They chattered and soon a joke brought about an outburst of laughter. Bella's eyes flew open to see a sea of large shirtless men surrounding her. Fear gripped her heart and she scrambled clinging to Seth who she had been laying her feet on. The pack were quiet watching her reaction. She gazed at each of them willing herself to be calm feeling her clammy hands gripping Seth's shirt collar. He tried to hush her and pull her to him. Her heart beat erratically in her chest. She told herself that she had made enough of a scene in the car. She wouldn't show her weakness with this audience. The pack could smell her fear rolling out from her.

Paul's eyes met Bella's and suddenly he couldn't hear anything or see anything but Bella. His breath hitched and he stepped towards her on Jared's thigh as he sat on the floor. Jared glared but saw that Paul was watching Bella instensely. His world had shifted and she was the most important part of it. He had to love and protect as the most precious being alive on the planet. He thought of all things she had done since she had arrived in La Push and knew the kid needed a firm hand hand that had been missing her entire life. She was keenly aware of his focused gaze and squirmed beneath the weight of his view. She tried to drag her eyes away but was unable to. The pack watched the exchange confused. It looked like Paul was imprinting only, he looked more like an authority figure than a lovesick puppy like other pack members had appeared. He felt extremely protective of her remembering that she had been alone with Asook today. He could have killed her! He stood over Bella and pointed to the door.

"Home, now." He was pulling her up by the wrist and leading her out the door to the stunned reaction of the pack. Bella allowed herself to be led away as confusion reigned over her face.

"Wha-what are you doing? Who put you in charge?" Bella tried to ask in a demanding tone but sounded weaker than she had meant to. A part of her instantly trusted him. As though he were a close friend with authority. She couldn't tell if she was attracted to him or viewed him as family.

Jacob jumped up and held Paul's shoulder. "Did you just imprint? Because this isn't how it usually works." He tried to ask gently but with enough strength to ensure that Paul understood that he expected an answer. Paul considered for a moment what had happened.

"Yes, I've imprinted. She needs to go home now." He said calmly before continuing to lead her out of the room. Seth looked at Jacob for reassurance which Jacob gave freely. Seth smiled at Bella and she half-heartedly believed it was going to work out. He knew that Sue and Leah were at home and they would watch out for her. They listened to Sue's car pull away and everyone began talking at once.

Jacob called attention. "Joshua, do you have any clue what the hell that was?"

Joshua laughed. "She hasn't had her menarche yet. As far as his wolf is concerned she's a child. The wolves and hopefully our young men aren't interested in mating with children. I don't know what they are right now. But she has a father even if he hasn't been a figure in her life. She doesn't need someone to play in the sandbox with her. I don't know if he's going to be like a friend or older brother for now. But she clearly doesn't need a lover." The pack contemplated this.

"I'm not rude like that to Claire." Quil said defensively.

"Claire's six years old and has loving parents and a relatively normal life. Bella's fifteen year's old and had one crazy parent living on the run. Don't you think they require different approaches?" Joshua suggested.

"What's a menarche?" Embry finally asked the question most of the others hadn't been brave enough to ask.

* * *

Paul was quiet in the car. Bella stared at him in bewilderment. _What on earth was happening now?_ She didn't even know this guy and he was infringing on her out of nowhere. _Who did he think he was and what is imprinting?_

"You should be ready to move in with Charlie now. You probably could have gone last week. Why are you avoiding him?" Paul asked directly and without hesitation. Paul remembered when Jared phased how he had to fight his wolf that wanted to claim Kim immediately. His wolf wasn't fighting him internally. His wolf acknowledged his mate was immature. Paul was surprised that it didn't disturb him that he wouldn't be having casual sex anymore. All he could see was Bella and he was content with that. What he wasn't happy about was that Bella was missing her opportunity to her father in her life. Or that she risked her life daily for hits of adrenalin. Why did she need to feel alive? And he wondered what damage had been done to her while she was homeless with her mother. A person doesn't become so violent without violence first being brought against them. His wolf growled inside at the idea of their mate being hurt.

"I'm not. We meet up for dinner once a week at the diner." She mumbled with a blush reaching her cheeks. How could he know so much?

"You already know you're ready to move in with him. But you said nothing. You hate the pack. Why stay close to us?" Paul glanced over at her from the road. He was taking a longer route around the Sue's place to finish the conversation.

"The Clearwater's don't become mean behind closed doors. I don't trust that Charlie won't change a month from now with me behind closed doors." Bella admitted. Paul's heartbroke. She belonged with her father. The Clearwaters were selfish to keep her so long and not push her to join her father.

"The pack will be keeping a close eye on you and you won't be isolated. I don't believe for a moment that Charlie would hurt you and even if he could, we would pull you out before he could do any damage. I'm going to talk to Sue about moving you to Charlie's. As much as I would like to keep you in La Push, you need to go to Forks and have some time with your father." Paul pulled up on the Clearwater's driveway. They saw Sue's head poke through the curtains and knew exactly what was coming next. An irate Sue threw the front door open and stomped out of the house wearing pj's and a bathrobe in the rain. Bella decided right now that it was a good thing that she would be going to live with Charlie and going to Forks high school likely in the following days.

* * *

Jacob stood in human form in the clearing flanked by a furious Paul in wolf form to one side and a calm Joshua in wolf form flanking him to the other side. Across the clearing stood the blond Leech who worked as a doctor at the local hospital flanked by a large brunette male and a slim auburn male. The smell was revolting. They stood under the moonlight observing each other quietly. Jacob wore knee length shorts riding low on his hips. His bare chest packed solidly with muscle gleamed under the quarter moon peeking in and out of the clouds. Now that Leah was temporarily out of the pack. The sense of a boys club had returned. He didn't like to admit it as he loved his sister as much as his brothers, but he enjoyed the sense of masculinity that came with an all male pack. The sense of brotherhood. He had phased at sixteen years old and Leah had joined two years ago. At twenty, he missed this and wondered whether Leah would be open to staying human permanently or if asking her would hurt her feelings. His thoughts masked his impatience and anger. He needed to think of less important matters as he already knew everything that he would say at this meeting. It was important to stay calm despite his instincts.

"Thank you for meeting with us on short notice." Jacob greeted the doctor. He stepped forward as the doctor moved to greet him closer to the halfway point in the clearing. The doctor was dressed semi-casually in a light sweater over a pinstriped dress shirt and tan khaki's. But despite his relaxed mannerisms, there was something too crisp about his appearance to give the relaxed impression he was aiming form. Jacob's wolf felt tense despite the doctors excellent impression of being human.

"We were happy to oblige. We seem to have a problem. It looks as though we need to redraw treaty lines. Could you please explain why you crossed our boundaries?" The covens leader tried to ask as delicately as possible but there wasn't a tactful way to ask this question. In recent years there had been a few incidents that had raised the stakes on the treaty and tensions were riding high. The Cullen's had something to prove to show that they could ride out their time in Forks living alongside a people who knew what they were and remembered and held them accountable for their actions. This latest incident didn't help matters but he wasn't about to be walked over by the La Push pack.

"As soon as you can tell us why he was following a human with hunger in his eyes and venom on his breath." Jacob looked to the auburn haired vampire accusingly. Paul was shaking again so Jacob put a calming hand on his shoulder. The accused attempted to stare down Jacob but doctor shot a look back at him as though in warning.

"For this negotiation to go forward we will need to open up a little. I'll tell you what he was doing, as he didn't break the treaty, if you'll agree to tell us why you were following the same human. Is that fair enough?" The doctor proposed skillfully. Jacob looked to Paul, who growled but gave a slight nod. Jacob then looked to Joshua's opinion. Joshua nodded his giant head reluctantly.

"Sometimes, a human stands apart from other humans to one vampire. We call them 'singers'. That human's blood calls to a specific vampire. My son unfortunately met his singer today and was struggling with his control. I'm proud that he didn't break the treaty today, but he will be leaving Forks for Alaska after this meeting. He will need to learn enough control to stay away from his singer." The doctor spoke watching Paul as his rage grew.

Jacob stepped back and placed a reassuring hand on Pauls muzzle while keeping his eyes on the doctor. He moved forward again letting go of Paul.

"We are keeping a close eye on the human because she destined to be mated within my pack. You should have warned us about 'singers' when you first wrote the treaty. We need to know about additional grave threats against humans." Jacob announced grimly. He wanted to negotiate for more land reaching to Bella's home in Forks without giving up any land. He also felt that they had been untruthful with the Quileute. They made treaties under the guise of full disclosure. What else where the coven hiding from them? This wasn't permisable.

The auburn haired vampire went by the name Edward and listened to Jacob's thoughts. He appeared to be seventeen or eighteen years old, but his clothes didn't profess a teenage boy. He wore a light tan pullover with fitted jeans that suggested a young fashionable professional in his late twenties. Meanwhile his stance bordered between aloof and defensive. Hearing Jacob's thoughts, Edward felt pain realizing that the young girl had already been claimed as best you could on a child. The one by the name of Paul would wait patiently until such a time as she was ready. Edward felt torn between wanting to protect the human girl from Paul and everything else while at the same time wanting to sink his teeth into her soft skin like butter and drink her back until he had drained her completely. It didn't make any sense and he had ceased trying to make sense of his inclinations. Even now, he knew they had taken her back to La Push and he was struggling with himself to not break the treaty and chase after her onto their lands and take her. Take her where? Take her how? He wasn't sure. He wanted her and knew he should not have her. Her mysterious mind that was silent to him. The dogs were right, he was a danger to her. But so were they.

"As if you aren't a threat to her? This pack is full of unstable young mutts capable of ripping her to shreds in a moment of bad temper." Edward sneered.

Paul lunged forward and Edward dropped down into a crouching position prepared to take batter Paul into a bloody disgusting pulp.

"Stop!" Jacob's Alpha command rang out causing Paul to yelp as he came to a jolting halt. Edward kept a cool collected face and straightened up but inside his was biting back his mirth watching the dog being pulled back on his leash.

"I apologize for my son's outburst." The doctor said hurriedly shooting a warning glance back at Edward. The doctor had argued with Edward about leaving for Alaska but after this display, it seemed to be for the best. His family were loving and could live peaceably beside humans. They had for many years and they would continue to do so. Edward had proved enough today seeing as his singer lived. But maybe they shouldn't push his son's self-control any further.

Jacob stepped forward handing over a rolled up map to the doctor fighting to control his fury. "I expect you to agree to the new boundaries including the chief of police's home. We will be needing daily access to Forks highschool to keep an eye on the human girl. We will agree to stay in human form unless we are threatened or we happen to see a human threatened by a vampire within our vicinity. This one," Jacob eyed Edward. "Will leave for Alaska and none of you will speak to this human girl in future. Will you agree to these terms?" Jacob knew he was playing hardball, but he was too angry that they had kept this from the pack. One of their imprints had been at risk today and they had smelled their scent leading right up to her bedroom window soon before she slept. The Cullen's didn't belong near any humans bedroom windows never mind an imprints.

Dr Carlisle Cullen took a cursory look over the map but wanted to know what Edward had heard before agreeing to anything. "May I speak with my sons privately before I agree to anything?" Carlisle asked softly. He had a feeling that they were on dangerous territory. This young human girl was of particular value to the pack and Edward had touched a sore point. Otherwise Carlisle wouldn't consider this unfair exchange. He expected she was imprinted on, given one wolf in particular took exception to Edward's proximity to the girl. He knew a small amount about it, but he couldn't be sure.

Jacob nodded and stepped back without taking his eyes off of the coven. He watched the coven retreat across the field. They looked over the map and discussed things carefully. One son seemed to be arguing with the doctor but the larger bloodsucker wearing dark trousers and shirt with it's sleeves rolled up above his elbows whispered sternly. The slimmer son bowed his head and reluctantly seemed shrugged. The leeches said a few more things before coming to agreement and returning across the clearing.

"We can agree to everything except not to talk to the girl. The behaviour would call too much attention in social situations. All of my children are out of high school and our social circles don't appear to mix at this time. I don't foresee reason to socialize with her. We will make an effort to avoid her. We are sensitive to your needs in this situation and give you everything that you have asked for within reason. Can you except this?" Carlisle smiled gently as he presented his counter offer.

Jacob's arms were crossed and he eyed Carlisle suspiciously. _Why would it be socially awkward? What did they have in mind? Were they planning something? Was Paul's imprint about to be lured and kidnapped?_ The Alpha wasn't pleased. He considered Carlisle's words carefully. He would have Hell Cat watched carefully at all times. They would observe for any untowards interest from the Cullen's and they would be ready to renegociate the treaty if necessary. He heard Paul still growling from his flank. Jacob threw him a warning look before responding to the doctor.

"I can agree to these terms. I want it on paper. We will need to draw up the papers, review and meet to sign an updated treaty." Jacob answered authoritatively as he watched the doctor and sons carefully. This young imprint caused more trouble for the pack than all of the imprints in Jacob's four year memory as a wolf. He struggled with the close proximity to the rancid, sweety, bleach scent emanating from the leeches.

Carlisle nodded agreement reaching his right hand out to the young Alpha. The young man stared at his hand with revulsion for a moment before the wolf Carlisle recognized from previous dealings as Joshua nudged the young Alpha with his muzzle. Carlisle's hand was soon wrapped in the firm, heated grip of the young Alpha who grimaced at the cold hard hand belonging to his mortal enemy. As with all other dealings. The representatives from the pack stood silently and watched as the representatives from the coven retreated from the clearing.

**AN: A bit of a tease not showing the readers the first days of Paul and Bella's developing relationship just yet. But them's the breaks. I show things in the order I deem best. :P Hope you liked the chapter because it might take a little longer to come back to this story. I need to focus on Noise. I've been tripping on the most recent chapter and need to figure out what's wrong with it.  
**


	9. Paramedics

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Paramedics  
**

**Chapter 8**

Bella washed dishes in Charlie's kitchen while he watched sports in the living room. It felt surreal. She has been living in some strange man's house for twenty four hours now. She wasn't sure if she was having a panic attack but she'd had the strangest dropping feeling in her stomach on stop of her anxiety. She felt an unfamiliar weight in her pelvis and pangs low down in her abdomen. Bella wasn't sure what to make of it as she finished putting the last pot on the dish rack to dry. The kitchen was yellow and sunny in stark contrast to the dark and wet that was Washington. She was drying her hands when she felt 'sticky' and went to the bathroom. Announcer's on the tv were debating something on an instant replay about some guy called Harvey as Bella passed the living room. On the stairs there were pictures of her (as a small child and as a baby) and Renee and some pictures had Charlie in them.

In the washroom, Bella's curiousity was answered when she found blood. More than a month of solid meals and a more leisurely lifestyle and her menarche started. Bella knew some things about sex, but with Renee not being entirely all herself the last few years, reproduction sounded horrifying. Guys shoved things in places that she didn't think would fit, babies were carried inside you and made you vomit and at some point babies had to come out. Why did it sound so much like Alien? The idea of that made her gulp. Based on the information fed to her, she had concluded she didn't want to know anymore and avoided anymore information.

Ever thoughtful, Sue had thought to add pads to Bella's belongings when she was moving into Charlie's. She cleaned up and went to her room. She lay there thinking. She thought about where Renee was now. Fear of death rose up and Bella quashed those thoughts immediately as anxiety crept up. She thought about what Paul's imprinting meant for her life. Fear of the unknown rose up and Bella quashed those thoughts immediately as well. She considered starting at Forks high school tomorrow and if she'd humiliate herself there as well. Fear of failure rose up and Bella quashed those thoughts in addition. An image of her sitting on the lid of a dumpster as she tried to keep it closed on her fears and demons struck her. She felt nauseaus. Bella wanted something to manifest in front of her to fight. Her biggest fears were always the things that she couldn't flat out punch. She couldn't defeat death, she couldn't knock out imprinting and she couldn't triumph over high school in one brief violent display. It really was agonizing. This new life seemed to be about plugging away at monotonous day to day life. Being in it for the long haul. Suddenly an image of her in the dumpster and her fears and demons sitting on the lid trapping her inside came to Bella. She gasped in shock and felt out of control.

Bella had to escape. She had to break free. They couldn't keep a lid on her. She wouldn't let them. Not that she knew exactly who 'them' were but she was sure that she would recognize 'them' if she saw 'them'. She ran to the bathroom and grabbed a stack of pads, shoved them into her cargo pockets. Then she tied her hair back and put on a light coat and some running shoes. Time to go.

It was spring but chilly and raining outside. She dropped down from her window and rolled onto the wet grass. She began her run only to be confronted by a giant wolf growling lowly at her. She dropped down into a crouch as though ready to defend herself. The wolf barked out loud laughing at how preposterous the idea of the girl fighting him was. Brady was covering for Paul and couldn't help but phase back to human and fall to the ground laughing. He caught a look in her eye like she was about to kick his genitals that sobered him up enough to protect his valuables. Once it was clear that she wasn't going to get what she was after, he swiftly pulled on his shorts. Bella's pride was hurt. She decided right then she didn't know which member of the pack this was, but she didn't like him.

"Whatcha doin'?" He asked with a grin.

"Running." She said folding her arms and glaring at him.

"Yeah. I noticed that much. I thought you would have had enough of running after eleven years of it." He smirked. Bella stared at him and carefully thought about the point that he made. Realization hit her. That was why she could obey almost every command Seth had given her. She did her homework. She didn't do any drugs. She was avoiding majorly stupid thrills as best as she could recognize the stupidity of them. She obeyed almost everything except running.

"...well...coping...with shit...mechanism and yeah." She mumbled not sure of the correct wording. Bella knew that when she felt really stressed, her first response was to run. If she couldn't run, she struck out at those around her until she was free to run. It had worked for as long as she could remember. But living in one place, it wasn't going to work anymore. What would work? The stress built up on her and she didn't have a high pumping through her veins to absorb the pain.

"Need to find something else." Brady said sadly.

She choked but fought against the need to cry. She didn't know this young man. She didn't really know if he was safe. She glared at him through wet eyes in defiance. "I run so I won't hurt." She launched herself forward but was caught in Paul's arms who had appeared out of nowhere. Bella struggled against Paul's large bare chest. She was feeling helpless as it was. This wasn't helping. She let out a stream of profanities which Paul promptly ignored. He sniffed the air. His mate was growing up it would seem. He hushed her and stroked her hair pulling her in for a hug. She found his presence strangely soothing, along with his hushing and his touch. She calmed for Paul and relaxed into him.

"You're going to talk now." He said gruffly. "I don't read minds." Bella took in his words. She used to talk to Renee. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to talk to Paul. But could she trust him? She felt naturally inclined to trust him. There was only one way to find out.

"I thought...at first that my fears were in a dumpster." She began slowly speaking against his chest. "I sat on the dumpster, fighting to keep the lid on them. But then I realized that my fears have me trapped in the dumpster. I had it backwards. So I ran." She finished. It was the best way she could explain what she was feeling.

Paul absorbed what she said before speaking. "What are you afraid of?" He asked clearly in his low masculin voice.

"My mother's death. Did she go to hell? School. How will I ever manage to succeed? Imprinting. What will be expected of me?" She left out the question about imprinting and sex to keep the subject more neutral and less embarrassing. Paul felt a stab of pain in his chest. He wished that his imprint was afraid of the things that went bump in the night. He was a pro at killing real monsters.

"I don't have anything comforting to say about death. I'm sorry. All I can do is hold you. School, we'll figure it out together. Whatever happens, I'll take care of you." He promised. Before he could continue Bella pushed him away.

"You think I'm too dumb to take care of myself? You think I need someone else to take care of me when I fail to graduate?" She choked fighting tears again. She saw images of herself with bottle blonde hair on his arm too stupid to do anything but care for her hair and nails. 'The only thing dumber than a blonde is a bottle blonde' rang in her head. Paul felt like he was trapped in a horrible joke. He didn't mean anything negative by his words. How had they been wharped to mean something bad? What did he do wrong? He took a deep breath.

"My wolf wouldn't imprint on a stupid girl. I only wished to acknowledge that your education has a long a way to go. But you aren't alone. I have faith in you Bella. I should also point out that your third fear isn't so difficult to answer. I expect you to not run away in the middle of the night and I expect you to not hurt yourself. Those are my two expectations for my imprint. Is that fair enough?" Paul asked Bella. At times, she seemed like a young woman. At other times, she seemed like a child. He wavered between being attracted to her to wanting to take care of her. The other imprinted guys seemed to feel mushy about their imprints. Their personalities changed to make them softer. He was sure that he felt much the same as he did before. Only now he felt protective and possessive.

Bella considered Paul's expectations. Don't run and don't hurt herself. They seemed like reasonable requests she supposed. But she couldn't promise either. "I can try not to run and I can try to consider risk. But I running away has made things better for so long. Bad things close in on me and I run. I feel adrenalin pumping through me from the exertion and fear of the unknown. All of the bad is lost in the thrill and I feel all better again. And I do fun stuff that can mean I get hurt sometimes. I'll try to consider your feelings and minimize risk. But I can't promise I won't hurt myself doing fun stuff." Paul wondered if werewolves could get headaches.

"Bed." He grunted leading her to her window and helping her up. She said nothing but felt better after talking to him. She still wished that she got to run.

* * *

High in the rockies within the Canadian province of British Columbia, two werewolves and two vampires met.

"You would betray your own family for power." Edward, the mind reader spoke a statement incredulously. If this was the safety of the pack, his singer was safer with him. A blood thirsty vampire.

_The Alpha has too much power. We simply wish to make a democracy of our tribe._ Quil Sr thought aloud. Edward flinched at Quil Sr's thoughts.

"The council aren't voted on. That's not a democracy. But it's not my concern. If you can nail down the details of the girls hand over, I can give you details of Una and how she can help the council gain control over their Alpha." Edward paused to brush snow out of his hair with annoyance. His companion grinned at his pointless motion. He hadn't spent enough time out in the snow in her opinion.

_What will you want with her? _Joshua thought curiously shifting uneasily in his wolf form. His instincts not happy contemplating handing over a human and imprint over to his natural enemies. Quil Sr was absolutely convinced that this was the best course of action. As were the council in absence of Sue and Billy. Joshua was the only one questioning this decision. Edward watched this stopguard fail.

"I plan to keep her alive and human." Edward stated blankly. Tanya thought that Edward should sleep with the girl in the next year or two. Maybe he would be more open to her advances then. He tried not to roll his eyes. Tanya thought too much about sex.

_But will you hurt her?_ Joshua wondered. Quil Sr remembered the girl stabbing him in the eye. Let the vampire hurt the vicious little bitch. Edward gulped at that memory. What had Quil Sr done to the girl to make her stab him in the eye? She needed rescuing.

"No! I will not hurt her. I will love and cherish her." Edward promised Joshua. Joshua wondered what would happen to Paul. An imprint hadn't left before. Could it kill him? It was likely.

_Would you allow him to see his imprint at a later date? _Joshua prodded. Quil Sr was becoming restless with these negotiations over something he considered a fair trade. Joshua considered the girl valuable now that she was an imprint. He needed to make this deal fair if he was going to betray his pack mate, it had better be a fair trade. The girl still might want to mate with Paul once she was older. If Paul survived, he had to keep the option viable or at least a friendship.

Edward listened to these thoughts with a stone face causing Tanya concern. He felt concern that if this was bad enough to kill the wolf imprinted on Bella, that it might be bad enough to hurt her. They might be a packaged deal. But Quil Sr's thoughts were ruthlessly centered around getting rid of the girl and taking control of the Alpha. If this failed, Quil Sr would look for another opportunity and less graceful host for Bella. She was a reminder of his bad deeds. He couldn't stand her around. If Edward left the girl with the pack, who knew what would happen to her. He was reconsidering his plan. He couldn't stand to hurt Bella. The more he learned, the more his concerns grew.

"If it is physically hurting her to be apart from him, I will allow them to see each other under Alpha control. We'll have to see how the situation is to make that decision." Edward was now torn. His selfish want for his singer and her need to stay with connected with the pack were at odds. "I have much to consider from this meeting as do you. We should return to our homes and think about this." Edward spoke to Joshua. Joshua nodded but Quil Sr was angry. Thoughts of his breeding program being halted yet again rised to the surface. Edward winced at the memories of what Quil Sr was willing to put the orphaned female wolf through. Joshua had a plan but he wanted to take the least painful avenue to reach his goal. Quil Sr was blind by ambition. He wanted the most powerful pack possible for his son and future offspring. Secure safety and power for all of his progeny. Unfortunately, it was tied to cowards as far as he was concerned.

Quil Sr saw the disgust on Edward's face. _Have to break some eggs to make an omelet._ He thought to Edward. Memories of other things that Quil had done to get what he wanted over the years resurfaced that were revolting to Edward.

"I need to be going for now. I'll be in contact." Edward ended the discussion before he heard anymore.

* * *

Bella sat with Leah. Neither one aware of how similar their positions were within the council. Assets. Pawns to be traded to get what they really wanted. They watched the pack playing football in a small clearing on the reservation. It was late afternoon following Bella's first week at school in Forks. They had been sitting for the better part of an hour before either one spoke.

"You had your first period and your Mom's not around to talk to. Did you want to talk to me or Sue at all?" Leah had only just thought to ask this question even though she figured she was a few days late on this topic.

"No." Bella blushed.

"What did your crazy mother tell you before she died? You couldn't have taken sex ed." Leah pushed out of curiousity more than from concern. Bella didn't respond. She had strong suspicions that her impressions were wrong about sex. But she wasn't interested in embarrassing herself or an open discussion. Especially not considering what the guys might hear if they started paying attention. Of course, Paul and Jake were already very aware of this conversation and had pulled back from the game to pay closer attention. Leah took her eyes from the game to look at silent Bella.

"Come on Hell Cat, don't leave me hanging here." Leah insisted.

"I know the mechanics." Bella coughed out feeling her face turn a brighter shade of red.

"And what advice did Renee give you?" Leah asked. Bella frowned. She'd never understood Renee's advice on this one.

"Don't do anything that you don't want to explain to the paramedics later." The pack were confused when Leah, Paul and Jacob burst into roars of laughter. Bella stood up and walked off in a huff. _Thanks Mom._ She thought to herself.

* * *

AN: Not sure how long it will take before my next update. I have a wedding out of town and a stupid spleen. The fucker's giving me problems that are beyond my powers of procrastination. (Which are immense powers might I add.) I'm having to do something about it which might take up my time.**  
**


	10. Moon Behind The Clouds

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Moon Behind the Clouds  
**

**Chapter 9**

In a series of scattered and numbered buildings standing in the rain, handlers otherwise known as teachers attempted to contain the animals that roamed the halls of Forks High School. Most were simply surviving their social lives. Some had conquered the social stratosphere around them. And some were being eaten alive. Without the pack to stand behind her as they had in La Push, Bella was being eaten alive. Each day a boa constrictor took another swallow. It had begun with her feet and was not working it's way up past her knees to her thighs. If she'd experienced more of the perils of schools, which are unlike most other realms of society, she would have known what was happening. She would have seen these young ladies coming. Instead, Hell Cat followed her new owners, two young females primed and ready to find mates, around the halls of the school. She was named after a domesticated animal afterall. But was Hell Cat more cat than hell giver? Charlie had been working to domesticate her afterall. Had he succeeded so quickly? Time would tell.

If she had that time, given the council and Edward's proposals that wouldn't be sure. Joshua wrestled with hurting an imprint (both wolf and girl) and hurting the pack as a whole; he was also concerned what worse plans Quil Sr would concoct. Edward wrestled with hurting the girl or leaving her with the pack of wolves would leave her at risk of being trampled. The younger wolves didn't seem strong enough to deal with their council or remove their elder wolves. In his opinion, it was time for Quil Sr to be culled. But these were more issues that Bella was oblivious to.

"Is that a new stick of lipstick?" Lauren asked Jessica as she scrutinized the messy tube in Jessica's hand held up to her mouth. The colour looked gorgeous on Jessica.

"No..." Jessica frowned. Clearly it wasn't and she couldn't lie about it. She waited for the not entirely subtle attack about to give her whiplash.

Lauren gave a disgusted look and then dramatically replaced it with a look of concern. "You need to replace your tube of lipstick at least every three months for good hygiene. Isn't that one like, I don't know, a year old?" Lauren controlled her face to hide her smirk with friendly concern.

Jessica held the tube away from her and regarded the lovely shade of dusky pink that offset her her skin beautifully. It was a shade her mother had bought just before her birthday four months ago. Bella had sixteen weeks ago, but said nothing. The pack had tried to celebrate it, but Bella missed her mother. So she had hidden in her room under her blanket.

"I got it four months ago." Jessica said before returning the lipstick to her mouth. Lauren felt alarm that Jessica was going to use it anyway. She turned her face away dramaticallly displaying the disgust on her face giving Jessica pause for thought. "What is it?"

"Well Jessie, I hate to be the one to tell you this but do you have any idea how much c. difficile is probably on that thing by now? I think it's kinda gross. But if you want to spread shit across your lips be my guest." Lauren could barely contain her laughter watching Jessica's eyes open wide. Lauren would have convinced Jessica to give her the lipstick, but it didn't compliment her tones at all. But at the moment Lauren hadn't found a shade that complimented her skin as nicely or better than Jessica's lipstick complimented Lauren's. And Lauren wasn't about to have her friend look better than her. She had found a solution while her mother watched a rerun on Opera last night. It really was disgusting episode about germs. It was expensive lipstick and it was sold much closer to Seattle. Jessica wouldn't be replacing it anytime soon.

Jessica looked sadly at the tube and felt hurt over Lauren's words and disgust. Bella stood by the paper towel dispenser and hand dryer with her books clutched to her chest as she watched apprehensively. She hated when they got like this. A look of determination crossed Jessica's face. She couldn't keep the lipstick. Lauren would tell the boys at school that she had bad hygiene and start spreading rumours to get what she wanted. But she'd make sure that no one else would have it. Jessica opened the lipstick fully extending it before using the lid to chop the end off into the garbage before discarding the tube and lid into the garbage also.

Bella didn't really understand why she was now hanging out with these girls. She had been drawn to the boys throwing balled up paper in the cafeteria and moving all of the books from the last shelves in the back of library far from the librarians watchful eyes and placing the books under the rug even though everyone would see. Just small mischief to pass the time between classes. But the dominant females had sensed a future threat from her. After staring the males down, they had taken the play mate and made Hell Cat their new pet. The Grade nine boys stopped talking to her and the girls pulled her along. The believed that you keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. This girl was quicker maturing into competition. They couldn't leave her to go unchecked. She wouldn't be too hard for the average guy to dominate, she was in "special" classes. _Special in an Olympic kind of way. _Lauren snorted to herself.

Lauren and Jessica pulled each other close, arm in arm. "Come on Isabella." Lauren giggled, her mood dramatically improved. Lauren didn't like the name Bella went by the name she was usually called. It was too chic in her opinion.

Bella followed the duo grudgingly three paces behind them as they optimistically headed off to class. Bella wanted the younger boys to take her back.

* * *

"With purchases of fifty dollars or more, you will receive a gift from Penny's Department Store at the main entrance. Gift supplies are limited, so hurry now." The announcer came over the speakers. Leah rolled her eyes. She had heard that announcement a dozen times already. Doesn't look like many people are spending more than fifty dollars today or the supplies aren't as limited as they supposed. But would they shut that off? She'd like to rip the speakers out of the building.

"Are you almost done Hell Cat?" Leah called impatiently. Shopping with Leah wasn't a fun task. She was very opinionated about what Bella should wear.

"I don't know if this one is a good idea." Bella said quietly. Leah just barely heard her.

"Oh come on! It's got to be practical for learning how to swim in the pool and sexy enough for the beach come summer. Not to mention cliff diving." Leah reconsidered. She'd love to see Paul's reaction when Bella's bikini top came off next summer when she jumped off the cliffs. He'd thank her later.

"Why do I need to learn how to swim?" Bella whined.

"You aren't living in a desert anymore. We consider it a basic survival skill. Your father goes fishing all the time. We hang out at the beach a lot. Paul wants to take you sailing. Seth wants to teach you how to surf. And I want to point and laugh while you learn how to swim, how to sail and how to surf. Now open the door and let me see." Leah commanded. There wasn't much Leah could do for the pack now that she was temporarily human. But any and all small errands, they laid on her. Paul found it frightening that his imprint couldn't swim. He wasn't going to stalk her everywhere she went, but there were far too many large bodies of water in the vicinity around here and too many drownings for an imprint to not know how to swim.

"I think I need a one piece." Bella said quietly looking at the mirror in her change room nervously. This was too much skin.

"Bring it sexy!" Leah hollered! "The longer you take, the louder I get!" She grinned and counted down three seconds and on the count of three, Hell Cat dove out of the change room just as Leah predicted. Bella wouldn't want Leah to call too much attention to them.

"That's good. You need more cleavage. Looks like you're growing up top anyway." Leah analyzed Bella's form holding the girls arms away keeping her from covering herself. It wasn't the skimpiest bikini Bella had tried on today, but it was the most flattering on the girl. "Blue. The blues are definitely better on you. I always wear red. It looks best on me. You don't look as good in red clothes but those lips would look good in a red shade." Bella was torn between covering her body and covering her mouth. But she wasn't getting her hands back either way. "I'll take it." Leah announced.

Bella gratefully went back to her change room. Or stall to be more exact. Just as she stripped the bikini from her, she was down to the tiny underwear Leah had brought with her to try on the bikini bottoms in when she felt something on her ankle. Looking down, a tiny head and little hand reached out for her. Bella shrieked. "What's wrong Hell Cat?" Leah asked as fear filled her depths.

"Graydon no!" A woman's voice called. The ankle biter and managed to twist himself through the five inch opening at the bottom of the divider between stalls. His mother was attempting to drag him back to her side. The one year old boy gave her an impish grin as he twisted his head. "That's it! You're going back in the stroller!" The woman announced.

"What's the matter wittle Bella? Do you need protection from the big bad one year old infant?" Leah taunted Bella as she came out of the change room. Bella blushed and ignored Leah.

Leah never made jokes about Bella's intelligence now, but everything else was open season just like everyone else she knew. For Leah, the sensitivity this showed placed Bella as a dear and valued friend. It was the subtle things that differentiated Leah's friends from her enemies.

"With purchases of fifty dollars or more, you will receive a gift from Penny's Department Store at the main entrance. Gift supplies are limited, so hurry now." The announcer repeated.

"Cock sucking asshole..." Leah growled at the ceiling wishing the announcer a slow and painful death. But even Leah had enough decency to blush when she saw a mother cover her child's ears hearing her.

* * *

On a lake, at a quiet cove, an abandoned house stood guard over a three meter wide steep beach. The rotten shadow of a dock barely broke the surface of the dark waters. Joshua remembered a story about a child who fell victim in that house. The story was that the child fell through the rotten wood of the second story and was skewered by broken metal railing. By the time his friends had gotten help, he had bled to death and his organs had shut down. He stood in the doorless entryway of the ruins. A hole filled with tree's some feet lower than the brick perimeter of the house hinted at the basement that used to be here. The one item left on this small island home that had once been connected to the main land in a different time, was the bell. The rope was long gone, so he hit it hard enough to clang out over the empty lake far from the modern world. Joshua wanted to stand in wolf form, but he didn't want Quil Sr to listen in on this discussion. He would have to trust this Cullen.

"No Quil Sr I see?" Edward's voice announced his presence. Joshua hadn't been sure of a time and so he had asked Edward to wait for a time when he could call Edward to this place. The bell simply alerted readiness without using his own voice. Edward could see that Joshua was concerned that Quil Sr cared too much for himself and his offspring to be concerned about the health and safety of the pack.

"I have spoken with the council outside of Quil Sr. They agree that the imprint is heavily weighed on the mating imperative. The girl has not come of age yet and has barely been imprinted on. I will give my pack mate the best I can. If Leah hasn't mated within the pack by the time Paul and Bella's first child is has their first summer, we will trade the girl for Una. The council need a timeline. The pack can live forever. The imprint will not." This should fulfill the point of the imprint. Paul would never have a child without his mate. Joshua reasoned. It was the best that he could offer the boy. "We will not hurry the girl and we will not allow Quil Sr to hurry or harm the girl. Can you agree to this?" Joshua asked the vampire. He couldn't believe that he was negotiating handing over a human to a vampire. This had to be a first for the pack. With any luck, Leah would fall for one of the boys soon.

Edward's face was an unreadable mask of calm as he listened carefully to Joshua's thoughts. The man was usually so honest. Old Quil had done so much to taint him. They were silent as a cold breeze heading in from the north blew over them. "How likely is it that separation will harm or kill the girl?" Edward asked.

"We really don't know. If it seems to be hurting her, either she comes back to us or we hand over Paul and the child."

Edward was quiet and thoughtful. "And if Bella never has a child?"

Joshua shrugged. "Then the council will be very disappointed. But that's highly unlikely. I haven't heard of an imprint who didn't."

Edward and Joshua discussed further details and another meeting time at a later date. In human terms, this could take a very long time. But for immortals, this wasn't a particularly long time line. If only Edward could wait that long to be with his singer.

* * *

November was unseasonally cold. An arctic cold had settled over the olympic peninsula. The wolves hardly noticed. But Bella had felt it every day. She felt it particularly tonight. Lauren, Jessica and a bunch of girls from her grade had built a campfire in the woods and were drinking in the still evening. With the wind settled down, the cold didn't seem so bad.

"Jenna your guzzling more coke than rum! It's not fair to waste it like that! Hand it over." Jessica stomped over to a worried and wide eyed Jenna. "Here, chug this." Jessica held the bottle of rum up to Jenna's mouth and tipped it back. Jenna choked back the rum. Jessica didn't stop pushing the bottle of rum in Jenna's face until she started coughing into the bottle. "Eww! Sick Jenna! All you had to do was say uncle."

Lauren rolled her eyes. Bella continued to nurse her first beer. She had given her word that she wouldn't drink. She had lost her words at the campfire. She figured she could nurse one beer all night and no one would notice. She was right. As long as you weren't Jenna and hogging the coke.

The bonfire wasn't very impressive. But Bella had kept quiet as usual. It appeared those who didn't know how to build a good fire were also the biggest loud mouths and had taken over. If they had thought to ask one of the quieter girls, there were at least three of them willing to help and who knew how to build a decent fire. An impressive fire would have kept them warm. Instead, Bella was freezing and waiting for this little 'girls only' party to come to an end.

The end of the night came and many girls left. Soon they were down to Jessica, Lauren and Bella who had walked over from Lauren's house. A large house south of Forks. A drunk Lauren and Jessica led a quiet Bella. She stared at the ground following the sound of their giggling voices. Jessica whispered in Lauren's ear.

"Let's ditch her here. She'll be bawling her eyes out!" Lauren snickered. They looked behind them. Bella was still watching the ground. They walked some distance quietly before Lauren snatched Jessica and they hid behind a thicket and low pine tree. They breathed as quietly as possible.

Bella had walked some distance before she noticed that she couldn't hear the two girls anymore. The boa constrictor was up to her neck. The girls fought within themselves against laughing shrilly in the dark. The wind picked up and blew clouds across the moon blocking all of the light that Bella could see into the forest with.

"Guys? Where are you?" Bella called. She shivered back into her parka shoving her hands into the pockets. At least she was dressed for the weather. Lauren and Jessica had flashlights but waited until they were absolutely sure that Bella was gone before turning theirs on. They chugged back more vodka and red wine before heading back to Lauren's place.

* * *

AN: Yes, I'm a bitch to my Bella. *Insert evil laugh here.*


	11. Dark Chocolate

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Dark Chocolate**

AN: An angsty chapter. A bunch of you are going to hate me. So I'm going to go hide over there. *runs in different direction from where she pointed***  
**

**Chapter 11**

Quil Sr seethed. His mind was soaked in a hot bath of rage, steam rising from the surface blurring his view. He was not happy when he realized that final negotiations between Edward Cullen and the Council had proceeded without his input. He felt resentment towards Joshua, the Council and Bella. The injunction over hurting Bella still stood. He couldn't take his rage out on her. They had betrayed him and that little girl was off scott free, yet again. As usual, Quil Sr had shifted gently so as not to disturb the conscious thoughts of other wolves to eavesdrop on Joshua in wolf as he traveled back to the pack. It was a useful skill that Quil Sr had perfected. He heard much of other wolves while they were not aware that he was listening to their thoughts. But Jacob was becoming more powerful than his father had been. He was beginning to sense something amiss when Quil Sr phased gently and control his thougts without obvious provocation.

After hearing what Joshua and the Council had done in his absence, how that was possible was beyond him, Quil Sr stood in human form shaking violently soaking in his rage. He realized then that his mind wasn't soaking in a bath of rage. It was a couldron of rage was bubbling poison over a hot fire, oozing with ill intentions. His mind was concocting many brews for how he would get revenge and get what he wanted. He knew that he would have to get his own hands dirty. The injunction over Bella Swan and her father still stood. Any pushes to force Leah to reproduce within the next year with the young Alpha or another member of the pack who wasn't imprinted wasn't likely. In fact, Leah smugly flaunted her human 'vacation' in front of him. He growled menacingly to a quiet audience of tree's and retreating forest creatures.

This reminded him of Sam's imprint. Emily Young. The girl reminded him of Snow White. She lived in the woods at peace with the woodland creatures, cooked and cleaned happily for her man and didn't complain. Sam got that girl naturally. Quil Sr had had to make his imprint into that girl. It had taken years and he had had to work slowly and subtly to avoid detection from the pack. He had had to break the imprint, which was like cutting off your own foot to free it from shackles. It hurt dearly and had probably cost him some of his wolf's sanity. The wolf had been a lap dog to the woman. The wolf had been embarrassingly submissive towards his imprint. Quil Sr had fixed the wolf, broken the imprint and 'cured' the woman.

Then there was Leah Clearwater. Just like Sue Clearwater, Renee Swan and now Bella Swan. Four women who refused to know their place. Leah Clearwater was so happy to be human for a year. She was forgetting what came with becoming human. Vulnerability. No one had placed an injunction over Sue Clearwater's daughter. Why wait indefinitely for the Council's plan to pan out? He could take care of this himself. Why hadn't he thought of this before? He knew the coastline better than any of the pack.

A plan formulated in his mind. With a huff, excitement built in his stomach. He wouldn't be able to hide this from the Alpha or Joshua for long. He would need supplies and take them to the site he had in mind.

It took almost an hour to set up supplies, a human to deliver supplies to the site on a regular basis when Quil Sr was unable to and to track down Leah Clearwater alone. He quickly procured his alibi with his cured imprint. Then he stood in the woods setting his plan in motion. There was a fine line between hitting a person in the skull hard enough to knock them unconscious and doing permanent damage or killing them. He couldn't mess this up, it was imperative to his plan that he didn't harm Leah. If the rest of the leaders couldn't do what needed to be done to make their pack stronger and secure themselves for the future, he would have do the job himself.

The girl was alone in her room listening to music while reading. He was sure not to get too close to the house to bring attention to his scent. He sent a stick flying at the window creating a 'thunk' sound. The bitch's head popped up. She muttered to herself looking out the window, unable to see him with her human eyes. If she were still a wolf, he would have had to phase to be strong enough to control him and this entire plan wouldn't work. She came around the house in pajama's and a coat shivering against the unseasonable cold. As always, she defied any fear that she might have and braved the elements to find the perpetrator of the minor attack on her window. Leah was never one to let things go. Quil Sr fought with himself for patience. His wolf was excited by this hunt. He rarely got to hunt.

"Who the fuck-" Leah began to say before unconsciousness took her. Quil Sr slapped her head against a tree using little force at a carefully delivered angle. The pack would find out, it was a matter of time. But he would secure as much as he could in the time that he had available. Maybe a few months? He wrapped her carefully in pine scented canvas sheets and a potato sack careful to keep her clear to breathe. Many of the pack's scents littered this path. No one would suspect his scent in this place amongst the others. He avoided travel paths and patrol routes through the woods to a small beach where he had moved Charlie Swan's boat. He hadn't placed his own out on the beach as it would cause suspicion with a missing Leah.

He reminded himself not to be too rough. The pack would see what happened at some point. He would need to minimize the damage he caused for their coming anger. He might be able to salvage his own place in La Push when all was said and done. Maybe some day, they would understand how important this was. _Besides..._ He thought as he steered the small motor boat into the waves out to an empty island more than two miles from shore. _She was a nice piece of ass. _He felt a little bit of nausea as thoughts of Harry rose up and memories of Leah as a little girl edged on his guilt. He pushed that down. His progeny would have a pack stronger than all of the other wolf packs. His family came first.

A small inlet, sheltered from the most brutal of the pacific storms held an over hanging cave against the cliff face. A tent was set up with a spring travel mattress and multiple arctic sleeping bags. He lay her down letting light in throught the tent entry way and began to unwrap the layers of cloth, her heavy coat and pajamas. He couldn't imagine a nice way of doing this that would later help to soothe the pack. He had already concluded that despite his rage, minimal violence was the best path to take. He'd prefer if this was Bella Swan. Or better yet, Renee Swan. But he was killing two birds with one stone in this moment. He demonstrated his discontent with the Clearwaters and made the pack stronger for the future.

He closed the tent zippers. Even with his eyes, the overhanging cave inside of the tent on a clouded night; he needed a flashlight. He had brought her a wind up powered lantern but used it now for his own benefit and hung it from the top of the tent. The girl still lay unconscious in the tent as the wind whistled at the cave's entrance swaying the tent. Looking down at her, this was harder than he had expected. But he had gone this far. He wasn't going back.

Her skin was laden with goose bumps, he lay his heated body over hers not wanting her to get sick. This would work better if he kept her healthy. He had been worried about arousal, but his wolf was happy to mate with the young human girl. He held her hands together in one of his and tried to enter her gently. Her eyes flew open and her face saw bare chest before her face, felt skin on skin and a penis entering her. Her body clamped down in fear and a scream wrenched from her mouth. Her limbs tried to move against the concrete blocks holding her down. She looked at the long torso and reaching above her was her deceased father's friend's face. She felt sheer horror and pain. A strange mixture of emotions crossed his face before an more animalistic mask took form.

Quil Sr the man, saw her wide terrified eyes and experienced pleasure, guilt, rage, sadness and determination culminate at once. His wolf saw a fertile female in a submissive position, belly up underneath him and he liked it. Quil Sr left his wolf in charge expecting no damage to his mate as he emotionally distanced himself from the situation. If the pack found memories of him enjoying human pleasure or rage during the rape, he would have no hope for redemption. She would ovulate in the next day or two his wolf considered the scents coming from her body. His wolf thought it best to mate again on the days that she was ovulating to be sure. He would need to return to be sure. His wolf grumbled that he would have preferred if the female was a willing participant. But his wolf was always happy to mate. The wolf felt some confusion as he remembered his young imprint. She wasn't dead or gone, but she was... cut off. This girl's body felt much like the imprint he remembered. Young, attractive, supple, and inside she was tight, soft and moist. The wolf's understanding of his imprints presence in his life was like a skipping record going around and around.

* * *

Jessica and Lauren were sobering up at home making smores in the microwave. They began to second guess leaving Bella Swan outside alone in the woods without a flashlight on a severely cold and dark winter night. They felt sick in the bottom of their stomach and it wasn't the alcohol. Neither was willing to admit this to the other. So they ate and prepared for bed and laid in bed individually isolated by their guilt. Neither girl slept.

* * *

Paul felt a pang of fear, panic and icy chills. Embry was supposed to be watching over Bella tonight. He knew he should trust Embry with his imprint. But the feelings surged through him and he had to track her down. He left Joshua's poker night early suddenly and without explanation. They saw his face. Jacob and Joshua reassured Sam, Quil Jr and Seth but followed Paul outside.

When they phased and were met with Embry's distraction. Two blondes from the girls only party had run into Embry and he'd happily driven the girls concerned they were too drunk to be driving. But they had been side tracked, ended up at Forks hospital and then been banned for a year from the hospital outside of medical emergencies after the two blonde's had flashed the psychiatric ward's glass windows to "cheer them up." He had just gotten them home and phased when he realized that Bella was not with Lauren and Jessica when Jake, Joshua and Paul had phased.

Paul was angry. Paul was very, very angry. Paul couldn't see straight he was so angry. Jacob held calm authority over Paul and insisted that they find Bella immediately. Paul seemed to have a homing signal like the other imprinted wolves and quickly found her without picking up a scent trail first. Bella was hopping along and swinging her arms to keep her blood moving as she felt numbness spreading through her exposed skin and thighs. She felt tired and was shivering violently. She was very scared but focused on heading north believing that she had to find a road eventually. The only problem with her theory was that she was headed east in the black night walking into trees and bushes and it would have taken a very long time before she would have come to a road walking in this direction. The land scape sloped southeastwards and soon she would most likely have headed away from all roads had they not found her.

Bella and Paul were so relieved to see each other. She didn't argue when he gently picked her up in a bridal carry and held her close to him as he brought her back to his place. He didn't feel like taking her back to Charlie's after all of the fear he had experienced. He wanted to keep her close and assure that she was undamaged. Joshua took Embry to 'deal with him' and Jacob came with Paul to check for damage.

Bella could smell him all around her. She was had been fighting fear, trusting that Paul or the pack or her father would come for her.

Paul deposited Bella on his low queen bed and began to examin her fingers, hands, nose, chin, ears and feet. As her body warmed she felt burning hot and painful prickling through her face, hands, feet and thighs bringing tears to her eyes. Initially her skin had appeared waxy but as blood began to be restored to the blood vessels near the surface of her skin, her skin appeared an angry red. Soon tears escaped down her cheeks. Her toes and thighs felt like a hot poker was being held to them. She appeared drowsy but was shivering like an angry pack mate. Her heartbeat was slower than it should be.

"Looks like frost bite and maybe hypothermia." Jacob observed aloud what Paul was thinking.

"I'm taking her to the hospital." Paul stated. "Can you contact Charlie?" Paul grunted. Jacob nodded as Paul snatched his bed quilt with Bella, enveloping her against the cold heading out to his old truck. Paul smelled beer on his sixteen year old imprint's breath but not much. So he didn't say anything about it. His first priority was medical attention for her wounds. His second priority was comforting her. His third priority was finding out how she came to be alone in the woods. His fourth priority was seeking retribution if an individual besides Bella was responsible for this. In future, Embry would not be guarding Bella in Forks and he would leave punishment in the hands of his Alpha.

He held his beautiful imprint safely in his arms as he walked into the hospital. Charlie had called ahead and they were ready for her. She was brought to a bed in the ER and asked to wait.

"What happened?" Paul asked gruffly.

"A-a-after d-d-d-da bonf-f-f-fire party, L-l-lauren n-n-n J-j-j-jess-s-sica ditched m-m-me n-n-n da woods. L-lost." She explained simply. His chest rumbled a low growl.

She was a little drowsy but coherent and still shivering. A nurse checked her vitals and confirmed their same dianosis. She left saying that she would be right back. There was one dr working the small town ER that night and he was busy with a car crash victim who had crossed black ice.

Bella and Paul stared at each other in silence. Bella felt something additional to the trust that she had been feeling for Paul since she met him. For the first time in her life, she felt butterflies in her stomach as she looked into his eyes. She felt an unfamiliar ache and heat flooding into her cold body. She wasn't sure if this was from the cold. But she wanted to kiss him.

Paul felt guilt as his imprint suffered consequences from exposure to the elements and he was experiencing the first raging erection since he had imprinted on her. This wasn't the time or the place. But it had felt so good to carry her and hold her now. Her late entry into womanhood was happening rapidly before his eyes every day. It was at a rate that human eyes couldn't have detected. It was barely within normal human growth patterns. But her body had repaired itself and grown into this healthier lifestyle hastily. As though her body knew that it had fallen behind and was now working to catch up furiously. She was beautiful and was growing into an incredible woman. His wolf was becoming eager for their mate but willing to wait for her to mature more. He was embarrassed that he was having thoughts about her naked beneath him and he thrusted inside of her when he caught a faint scent of arousal looking up at him. Not a heavy scent that he smelled from mature lustfilled women. She gave off only a subtle hint of interest. It was the first time he had smelled her arousal and it wasn't caused by an impressive engine. And those were only faint scents as well. As much as he liked knowing that engines aroused her. It pleased him more, that for the first time, Paul had aroused his imprint. Her heartbeat had improved to normal speeds by now under his heated gaze.

He took her scent as permission to kiss her. Not wishing to frighten her, he leaned in slowly to give her a soft kiss on her cold trembling lips. He watched her giving her time to move away or turn her head. He saw something pass through her eyes before she pressed her lips against his taking a sweet soft kiss from him. She moved her shivering body back from him still sitting on his lap on the hospital bed in his arms. His hot dark eyes, melted her under his steady gaze. She moved forward and he met her kiss gently again. She would have blushed but the blood rushing back to her skin was already an angry red. But as she turned her eyes down he recognized her shy reaction. She felt tightness in her belly and groin as her shivering began to slow. Heat from spreading out to her skin from within. Twenty year old Paul felt a sweet throwback to his junior high school days.

"What is it?" He asked her.

She looked up at him and knew it was safe to tell Paul. "My first kiss." She admitted with a grin. She had always been socialized to fear men. It hadn't really occured to her that she might like their attention. She hadn't thought that she would like being taken care of. And she hadn't thought that she would like being held so much.

Paul, who associating first kisses with elementary school and junior high, felt a little perverted after the thoughts he had had of bending her over the hospital bed while fondling her breasts as he... well... that was just it. He was thinking of doing many things to Bella far dirtier than first kisses. He would be absolutely careful to follow her lead now that he was seeing the small clues she gave him of what she was ready for. Despite how much more chaste the kiss had been than what he had been thinking. There was something magical about sharing his imprints first kiss.

"Thank you for letting me experience that with you. I'm honoured." Paul smiled at her and pulled her closer to him. She felt drowsy and safe in his arms. She wanted to try that again when she wasn't in pain and her lips were trembling.

Her nurse returned and began to treat her.

How Bella could seem like such a tough and confident woman initially, but then there were other moments when she seemed so young and naive. He liked her tough side. But he was liking this other side of her as well. He would accept all that she had to offer joyfully.

* * *

Leah curled up in the corner of her tent eyeing Quil Sr. A man who had been an authority figure all of her life. A man that she had trusted as a child. She didn't see any bruises and there wasn't much soreness. She was so badly matched against shape shifting Quil Sr in her human form, that she hadn't been able to put up enough of a struggle to give him pause to hit or bruise her. She thought of Hell Cat and conluded just what an impressive, instinctual and tough girl, who she considered to be a friend was. In human form, she had managed to make it from the house to the front of the driveway against three male werewolves and two other times she had seen Bella restrained by the guys, she had put up enough fight that they left bruises. Leah felt shame and failure. What Leah didn't consider was that when she had come to he was already on top of her and holding her wrists with one of his hands and pressing his weight down onto her pelvis with her legs either side of him. The truth was that Bella wouldn't have faired any better than her if their places were reversed. It was just such a shock to wake up to. She had thought herself secure in the pack after Jacob had become Alpha. She had felt safe and secure.

Leah's shock went from dazed thoughts of shame and failure to panic. She launched herself at the tent zipper to run away. Quil Sr caught her in his arms and held her close hushing her. She fought against him but was bruising her arms and legs on him until she gave up and lay back against the hot heat of his body. She detached herself from the moment because it just hurt too much. He began to dress her in her pajamas and Leah wasn't aware enough of her surroundings to notice. He pulled her against him feeling guilt tug on him and stroked her hair. It would be easier if he didn't remember her as a little girl with short black pigtails.

He had planned to head back to La Push tonight so as not to give rise to suspicion. But watching her in the aftermath, it didn't seem safe to leave her. He was worried she might try to escape the island in the cold night in this state of mind. Besides, it was so cold, it might not be safe to leave her alone anyway. He would return Charlie's boat and swim back once Leah was asleep.

Quil Sr felt a small excitement at the idea of fathering a child again as he held a numb and sleepy Leah laying down on the thin spring mattress. He felt his arousal building but thought it better not to take her again just now. It would be good to have more children. He had always expected more. Quil Jr was becoming a man. His wife had promptly had herself sterilized after Quil Jr was born and in her quiet way had said that he got his son. He felt inclined to agree. That was what he had been after.

He would have felt cleaner having one of the younger members of the pack mate with the she-wolf. But in a way, the idea of her carrying his child was beginning to be an exciting thought the more he though about her body possibly beginning to carry his child right now. Whether she hated him or not, he would appreciate her body. Maybe he could make it better for her tomorrow? He would like to hear her moan and writhe underneath him. Whatever happened, he would be relying on supplies brought by the human he had already paid in advance. He had explained it was survival wilderness training to the young man. He would need freshly charged batteries for his cell phone in the next few days.

He knew the pack wouldn't think to search the islands. They always searched the land thinking of the sea much further than the beach as stray vampire domain due to their dominance in the water.

He wondered how long he could hole up with Leah here? Leah was usually a battle axe. Right now she was vulnerable and seemed like a girl that he could enjoy. If he could keep her like this, maybe she could grow to love him. He had been gentle, he was suprised that she seemed so clearly disturbed by all of this. Later, after he had returned Charlie's boat and swam back out to the island and dried off; while curled around Leah's sleeping form he had a dream about a subservient Leah like his wife. Only unlike his wife, in his dream she gave him many sons.

* * *

AN: I hope I haven't upset people too much. I tried following the story from Leah's perspective. But it was angsty and just wasn't as interesting to me. I found Quil Sr's evil mind far more interesting. I also wanted to show Paul and Bella's progress into their relationship slow and steady. I spent a lot of time deciding on this chapter but I'm not entirely sure of it so I'm crossing my fingers.


	12. Pedigree

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

******Pedigree****  
**

**Chapter 12**

After a long night, of a short search for Paul's imprint and patrolling, Seth made his way home. He phased in the backyard and pulled on a pair of basketball shorts. He could see his breath clouding against the cold night. As he approached home, he could hear his mother's steady breaths and heart beat indicating her sleeping form in her room. But his sister's room was oddly silent at four in the morning. Seth felt a cold shiver down his back. This wasn't like Leah. Ever since Sam dumped her, she sat sulking in her bed until she fell asleep every night.

He came in through the back door and searched for a note. Even though he could hear that she wasn't there, he searched the house for her. Her coat was gone. She left with her coat, but her keys and purse were still by the front door. Her most recent scent reached a path regular crossed by the pack was became awash with rain and a combined 'pack scent'. The entire pack had cross this way during the night.

As panic built, Seth remembered the scent he picked up searching near the Forks girls bonfire party. Asook had infringed on the Cullen's territory and he had smelled possible hints near their own borders. Could it be a coincidence that he didn't know where Leah was and the Makah's Alpha's scent hovered at their borders? Seth doubted it. He woke his mother.

"Mom?" He asked from her bedroom doorway.

"Hmmm...yeah..." She rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Did Leah go somewhere tonight?" Seth asked, fighting his voice to not show any panic. He was man of the house now. He would try to solve this before relying on his mother. He didn't want her to worry unnecessarily. He might just be overreacting. Sue searched her sleep laden mind for information.

"No. She stayed home to read. Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Don't worry about it just yet. Go back to sleep and I'll handle this Mom." She wanted to take over, but she fought the urge. He wanted to deal with whatever crisis had come up. She would trust her growing son. He was already very responsible.

Seth picked up the phone and dialed with a mask on his face that was reminiscent of Sam.

"Haello?" A voice raspy with sleep answered in a deep base voice. Seth was feeling calmer already hearing his Alpha's voice.

"Leah's not here. I lost her scent amongst our trail. There aren't any notes. She wasn't planning on going anywhere. Her coat is gone but her keys and purse are here. She's not a wolf now, she would need to drive in this weather to get anywhere in a decent amount of time. Jake, I'm extremely worried. You remember Asook's scent from earlier? I doubt it's a coincidence." The young wolf paced the length of the kitchen while the Alpha stood in his home's hallway quietly considering his plan of action.

It had already been an eventful night. He'd only caught three hours of sleep. He had been watching Quil Sr around Leah. He had though Bella at risk of Asook's advances. He should have given more thorough consideration to this possibility. His mind worked quickly and gave Seth his orders before ending the call and began calling other pack members. This would be a long night.

**

* * *

**

Hot bare limbs and hard muscles were wrapped around Leah. She could feel a chest and erection pressed against her back through her pajamas. Graphic memories of last night consumed her for a moment. She felt soreness around her vulva and vagina where his penis had forcibly stretched her clenched opening to accomodate him. Her muscles were stiff and acidic from fighting to defend herself. But she knew he hadn't marked her with bruises. She wished her body reflected on the outside what she was feeling on the inside. Her body betrayed her. Her breathing picked up as the horror of what had happened hit her again. Quil Sr's arms pulled her tighter to him, before he began to whisper soothingly to her while stroking her hair. "Sweetie, it's going to get better from here." He cooed. At the juncture between her legs she could feel her thighs were sticky with his scent surrounding her thickly. His filthy, disgusting jizz was probably still swimming around inside her right now! Her stomach heaved.

"I'm gonna throw up!" She clamped a hand over her mouth struggling to her feet. Quil Sr had her out of the tent and at the entrance in a split second. She threw up at the entrance of the cave in the freezing cold dawn. Leah observed her breath steaming in the air. She felt his hand on her back still rubbing her as though he were trying to soothe her! She looked up at him incredulously. _He drank the kool aid! _She reigned in her emotions before the next time he would see her face. He pulled her to his chest holding her head in his hands.

"It should have been Jacob. The Alpha male with the Alpha female as it is with wolves. I'm sorry baby, the tribe can't afford to wait for Jacob and the pack to come to their senses. I'll take whatever punishment I'm given. Pushing forward with this is the right thing to do. You won't be staying here forever. You just have to stay on this island until you produce a baby. Then you can go back. Harry would be so proud of you having a Grandchild. It's so sad he won't see this. You need to be brave for him." Quil Sr spoke in the tone of the fifty-odd year old man that he was with the face and body of a man half his years. His eyes were sparkling. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could see land far away and immediately knew the pack were _not_ coming. They wouldn't think to look here. Every search she could remember, they never ventured offshore.

He was talking to her in a tone reserved for a frightened and broken child. It was stark contrast to the tone he had used with Hell Cat when she had arrived. She had felt like a frightened and broken child last night. Now most of her wanted nothing more than to lash out at him angrily at him. While another part still was stuck in her own private nightmare and she wanted to have a meltdown and crumble into a ball. But she wasn't the pack bitch for nothing. Figuratively and literally.

Her mother had taught her a saying. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Leah determined to prove the saying right.

"So I can go home now. I'll take a pregnancy test in a couple of weeks and we'll see what we get." She said with carefully guarded optimism. She sensed that was highly unlikely. Why else would he keep her here all night. He smirked at her and she allowed the instinct to shrink back away from him. She would work on lowering his guard while watching for her best opportunity to escape. She doubted there would be a boat for her and she didn't think it would be wise to try swimming in the pacific ocean in November in human form. Or maybe that was exactly what she would have to do... She'd seen people in the water without wet suits in the dead of winter. They came out looking like drunks because of the effect of the cold. She was a strong swimmer. Could she be strong enough to make it to shore? Would it kill her? If she made it, Quil Sr seemed to be oblivious to the fact that the pack would probably kill him and his own son would probably be the first in line. He had been coming to some kind of realization about his mother that Leah didn't quite understand. But the only person who could compete in her hatred for Quil Sr right now was his own son.

"I'll try for a few days. If you're not pregnant by the end of this cycle, we'll try again each ovulation. You haven't been human with a cycle for some time. I'll be patient. If you miscarry, we'll try again the next cycle. But don't worry about that just now." He held her shoulders looking into her eyes. Her bottom lip trembled for a moment and he didn't fail to see that. The idea of his filth growing inside her left her with a sense of disgust, dread and defeat. She bit down on her tongue hard enough to bruise and slightly cut it. He could smell the blood. Leah fought the sense of defeat. The time would come when he would be vulnerable and she wouldn't show mercy. She released her aching tongue to speak.

"I'm here for a few weeks until you're sure I'm pregnant." Leah nodded with understanding.

He cringed. It was worse than that. She shoved her whole lip between her teeth biting down hard, the skin was breaking between her two upper front teeth and two lower front teeth as she fought a scream. "I can't allow you to go back and abort it." He responded. Leah quickly reminded herself of something. Quil Jr was a decent man despite his father. Quil Sr would never be more than a sperm donor to any child of hers, if she couldn't find a way out of this. He wouldn't keep her forever.

She tasted blood in her mouth and quickly released her lower lip. "Your lip!" Quil Sr sounded upset. _His vessel is damaged._ Leah thought to herself bitterly.

She wanted him to be assured that she was frightened and broken. She didn't want him to have any inkling that she was plotting. She didn't fight her distraught tears hearing his news. She didn't have to act for him and she didn't have to hide her hurt from him. It was better he thought he had won. _He came, he fucked and he conquered._ She sneered inwardly at him. _Conquer this!_ And she imagined flipping her middle finger at him as she collapsed in a mess of tears. She'd feed his ego with her weaknesses and hide all of her strength from him. She wanted him to be fucking putty by the time her opportunity to royally fuck him over came.

He sat on the ground pulling her into his lap. Even now, the bastard was sporting an erection. As always, Quil Sr enjoyed dominance to the point that he would let his guard down. _Why don't vagina's have teeth?_ Leah wondered. Like sharks, only safer, the teeth would retract when not needed.

As Leah sobbed for Quil's benefit, she considered swimming one or two miles in the Pacific in the winter. She would bide her time. There was some relief in crying, even if it was to stroke the fucker's ego. She had a cat named Tigger once, that would lick a stranger's finger's while purring. Then without warning, Tigger would bite hard and scratch the shit out of the stranger's hand. This was the small cat's way of making his point. He didn't like stranger's invading his space.

Quil Sr attempted to feed and hydrate his guest, otherwise known as prisoner once he had patiently waited through her tears for an hour and firmly instructed her that she had cried enough for this morning.

"I'll wait for you to ovulate before I try again." He informed her as he ate sandwiches. Leah picked at her sandwich. In other words, judging from his statement, she had a lot to worry about. Her mind continued to work on getting her out of there and what she wanted to happen to him when he was caught. She smirked at the image of his face as a pineapple was shoved up his rectum came to her.

* * *

Eleven o'clock Saturday morning after searching for Bella during the night, followed by a far from successful search for Leah, the pack gathered in the Black's living room. Paul held a sleeping and bandaged Bella in his arms. Her fingers, thighs and toes were bandaged. Moisturizer was being applied elsewhere whenever he bandages were changed. Charlie was working today and Paul couldn't bring himself to release her and leave her alone in a bed. That she had gone missing and now Leah was still missing struck fear into Paul's heart. Before now, he would have said he was fearless.

Jacob wished that he had a wolf who had imprinted on Leah. He would have a homing mechanism on her. Joshua took a seat as an elder wolf unaware of the situation since Bella had been found. He took in the tired, frightened and worn faces of the pack. His stomach felt unsettled as dread sank in. Quil Sr's wife had explained that he had been called away on Council business.

Jacob began the meeting sharing step by step all that had happened to make sure that the pack knew everything he knew. He could see and sense Joshua's response as the man sank into his seat.

"It's Quil." Joshua groaned sitting forward resting his head in his hands. The pack stared at him. "We betrayed you Jacob. We conspired behind your back just as we did to Billy for many years. It has always made things better. Now he's crossing the line. He's been pushing it further and further each time until I couldn't figure out what my ethical limit was. Undoubtedly, he's reached it. I've really fucked this up now. I didn't think he would _do_ this." Joshua's voice sounded close to tears. The pack had been focused on Asook and the Makah. The idea that one of their own could had taken Leah was devasting.

"What did you do Joshua?" Jacob said slowly and controlled. "You will tell me everything." He added in his Alpha double timbre.

"When I was Alpha for a short time, I placed an order that the pack would not think about how Billy lost his Alpha title. If you release the order, you'll remember. We fought since the day Leah shifted for her to be mated with the Alpha or you his son. We have been feeling pressure for years between the Makah and the Cullen's. If they team up, we will be wiped out. We need more wolves and we need stronger wolves. Leah seemed like a genetic gift from the The Great Wolf. I looked up information on wolves and it was clear that she should be mated with the Alpha. The Council took the Alpha role from Billy and handed it to me until you were ready. From this point you easily recall that we had ordered you to mate with Leah in a week. But Sue figured out the loophole. Quil Sr was beyond furious. He saw an opportunity when Edward Cullen saw interest in Bella. With the Council's approval in the absence of Billy and Sue, we contacted the leech and negotiated. Quil Sr was happy with negotiating a straight trade. Bella for Una, a vampire who would has numberous specialities in control." Jacob growled to announce his interruption.

"Like what?" He said in a clipped voice.

Joshua looked broken when he responded and Jake couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the man. It would appear that Quil Sr had been wearing down Joshua for years sharing minds with each other, hiding many thoughts from the Alpha. "She could shift you into instinctual mating mode and draw you to Leah. It would have been over and done with quickly."

The pack were disgusted. "The Council view us as animals." Jacob spoke aloud what they were all thinking. "I will deal with the Council." He said darkly. The idea that they would have Jacob do Quil Sr's dirty work was incredibly hurtful and at the same time infuriatingly condescending.

"The Council want the pack to operate similarly to the Makah pack operate to avoid accidents..." Joshua threw a side glance at Embry. "I mean, surprises." He said, not particularly covering his disdain for Embry, the bastard child who's mother had Celiac Disease. The Council believed that Embry's offspring would weaken the pack and the pack knew this. The gave a hurt Embry empathetic looks. None of them much cared. Emily was a diabetic. The imprints didn't have to be perfect and neither should any of their packs partners have to be. "The Makah pack are given an Alpha order soon after phasing for the first time. They do not mate with anyone but their wife or imprint. Their wife is selected by the Council and Alpha and given prior warning of imprinting. Our Council believe they would handle pack reproduction than we can as individuals." Joshua explained.

The room was quiet as they watched Jacob think. Rage burned in his stomach but he knew that rage would not be the emotion that he would allow to control his response. He deliberated silently. "The pack would breed as dogs. They view the pack as their pets. I will not stand for this. Tell me what you believe Quil has done with Leah. Where has he taken her?"

Joshua nodded sadly at his young Alpha's order. He didn't want to be right. He hoped he was completely wrong. The Alpha could sense the older man's feelings.

"I didn't feel the straight trade was fair and I worried what it would do to Paul and Bella. I was worried it would kill them. I decided to try to buy them as much time as I could. I hammered out an agreement with the Council behind Quil's back as I knew he wouldn't take anymore delays." He stopped, seeing the fury on Paul's face. The idea of them taking his imprint from him and handing her over to a _leech_ was entirely unacceptable. The man couldn't find the words for his feelings. But his wolf knew exactly what he wanted to do to the threat towards the imprint in his arms.

"Paul, calm." Jacob ordered without glancing away from Joshua waiting on more information. Joshua looked hesitant but continued. It felt strange to be under the judging eyes of his son and his friends eyes.

"We figured, it was likely Leah spent so much time the pack that she didn't know any other men. She would probably have a baby with one of you anyway and it was probably a matter of time. At least that's what I tried to convince us. But you live for a long time. They wanted a deadline. We agreed on waiting until Bella's first child's first summer. Bella is human, she has a shelf life. It gave them a time line. If Leah hadn't produced by this time, we would make the trade for Una. I hoped it would take several years for Bella and Paul to progress that far and I hoped Jacob or Embry or a new wolf phased and took care of the problem before Bella's time came." Paul felt the weight of his Alpha's order to calm as he shook in his seat unable to phase. His child would have grown up without his mother. She would be dead or a turned into a vampire. His imprint had been under direct threat because of this man. Joshua watched Paul now as he continued under his Alpha. "Quil has a way of finding things out. Somehow, I'm guessing he found out about the final negotiations. I was going to make sure I was there when I told him about it to make sure he didn't do anything hasty. This time line would be far out of what he considered acceptable. My guess is that he decided to kidnap and rape Leah. She's currently human, fertile and vulnerable and I hadn't put a watch out on her yet. It sounds like the sort of solution he would come up with. He doesn't play fair."

An uproar exploded from the pack as they all started talking at once. Seth's eyes watered and a determined resolve took over his face. He was ready to wage war. Bella's eyes fluttered open and she huddled into Paul's warm body. He sat quietly watching her during the unrest.

Paul felt so angry with himself. He was so happy that it was Leah and not his precious Bella. If Leah would just have a baby within the pack, his Bella was safe.

* * *

AN: I need to update some of stories, so you may need to exercise a little patience. Hope you like the chapter.


	13. Gail

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Gail  
**

**Chapter 13**

AN: Wow! Lot's of feedback. An interactive reader is helpful!

I've never been to Seattle or Sea-Tac Airport, I'm making up a lot of stuff here. I don't want anyone expecting accuracy on this stuff.**  
**

* * *

The sun would be rising soon and she still had to finish reports, email flight data cards and pick up the routing for morning start up before her replacement came. She glazed over for a moment staring at her three monitors in front of her. The STOC center was filled with co-ordinators for the airline with desks arranged like a small NASA control center, each row on a higher platform with stairs leading down the side. Management offices were laid out on the west side of the room, darkened windows lined the east side. Screens of scheduled flight plans filled the front wall. Schedulers, planners, T 'n F, line maintenance and break downs of domestic and international. Just then two phone lines lit up and she was being beckoned over wide body channel on her radio. Morning start up was beginning.

She answered the radio. "Go ahead." The guys found it amusing that she wouldn't use correct radio terms. But they were in ops and the tower didn't share their frequencies.

"I couldn't get stores, can you get the double lartay to order a part for me? Well parts ...foxtrot ..one ..two ..four ..five ..eight ..one ..nine ..zero ..zero ..one. For the second part ..two ..eight ..five ..whiskey ..zero ..zero ..two ..niner ..dash..four. This is for the triple seven on gate one fourty-one. Six am departure has already been delayed by crew scheduling." She took down the part numbers and made the order rather than hunt for the category one lead. She didn't think it was a good time to take advantage of a delay and replace parts. Morning start up was coming and if something went wrong they would have a maintenance delay on their backs. A wide body could be a nasty delay to explain to middle management given the number of people held up on a larger aircraft. But the mechanics were signing their names that the plane was safe. If replacing these parts made him feel more comfortable that the plane was safe, then who was she to argue? She only knew that she wasn't signing anything. Seeing the stress the mechanics felt any time the news carried distressed planes, she was grateful that she didn't sign anything. No ones lives rested on the weight of her signature.

During the night shift, the witching hour quietened down as the mechanics began to work on issues that day light hours didn't give time to resolve. Morning start up was a rush of information, activity, bright sunlight and noise. The airport came alive. She welcomed the ritual morning buzz of fresh adrenalin trying to make sure all issues from the night were resolved and everything they could safely get off the ground. It also made the long drive home easier with a good wake up to start with.

"Fin two twenty-nine is delayed. Fueler's screwed up." Barry told her sitting next to her. She rolled her eyes.

"Too much or too little?" She asked. Too much and the plane couldn't land without flying further too offload weight to land safely. Too little and it would run out before it reached it's destination, which of course is never what anyone wants to happen. Passengers don't tend to appreciate fast altitude dropping gliding landings on silent engines. They tend to think they're going to die even if the pilots would appreciate the challenge. She smirked remembering an empty airbus ferry flight she'd taken. With the pilots and a mechanic hitching a ride on an empty flight for positioning purposes. The pilots were bringing the airbus to a smaller airport after their wide body died with a lot of people waiting. She had training at the location and management had moved her onto the flight. At take off, the crew had gunned the plane to it's limits. At take-off it felt like they were almost taking off vertically and she'd fought to hold the contents of her stomach down. The pilots had been over the intercom joking back to her and her fellow passenger. Reaching altitude they had dropped off and she'd felt zero gravity much like on a roller coaster. The mechanic had taken ferry flights before on out of town rescues and had held a pen mid air. gotten a kick out of her exhilarated scream.

"They're offloading now." Too much fuel. If there was a mistake, it was usually too much and the crew would tell passengers that they were 'fueling'. She glanced over at the security screens across the room and flipped the fuelers the middle finger. Barry chuckled. Of course, we all made mistakes.

She set to answering her lines and assigning tasks that crews found as they prepared aircraft for take-off. Soon Chris arrived.

"Fin seven oh three isn't finished with their hundred hour check. They had a hold up with the fly away kit. And they're still unclogging forward lav e. Another diaper was flushed down the toilet." Everyday passengers backed up toilets with diapers. Was it that hard to understand regular toilets won't take a diaper. _Why would they expect an aircrafts toilet take a diaper?_ She wondered. One flight she had been on, passengers had blocked all eight toilets before the end of the flight! A number of children had wet themselves by the time disboarded. She had been told of passengers jamming clothing, drugs, adult diapers and infant diapers, huge wads of paper towels, cartons of cigarettes and contents of food trays. The general public did some strange things.

"And Fin two oh eight FCU loaner part hasn't arrived yet. They swear it will be here before the twenty eighty-nine flight arrives. Can you pass that on to the day shift team leader? I don't think the night shift will get to it." She added.

"Got it Gail. Get some sleep 'kay?" Chris smiled up at her as he took his seat. She was younger than most of the guys at twenty-four and hugely in the minority as a woman in line maintenance. The women were outnumbered around sixty to one. She knew some of the guys suspected her of sleeping her way to this position. Most of the guys were mechanics or had been mechanics at some point. They worked long and hard to get to where they were and she slipped in there between ten and twenty years younger than them. She didn't honestly know how she jumped ranks quickly, but no one accused her of being incompetent. The guys were civil to her for the most part. But there was a fair amount of male aggression and swearing within the department. She'd found her niche and the guys had accepted her like they accepted the few female mechanics. What they didn't recognize was that her pay grade for doing the same job as them was much lower due to not being a mechanic and how fewer years she had worked in the company. She knew that they made a lot more money than she did.

Her job was on the line though. Probably because some of the guys suspected her of sleeping her way up, these men had likely approached the union and felt her position should belong only to 'qualified' people. There was word out that her position was going to become a licensed mechanic position only. That would take two or three years of school, years of apprenticeship and then going through licensing to be qualified for a job that she had been competently doing for two years now. She wondered where the union would send her. If it was another city, she wasn't willing to move her ten year old daughter any further away from her grandparents and her father. Gail's boyfriend was doing time in Steilacoom at McNeil. It wasn't like he could come with them. He had just less than two years left after repeated denials for parole. Ten years of dating and her parents still hated Carl.

At least she didn't have to worry about her green card if she lost her job. She was born in Bellingham to a Canadian mother and American father while her parents lived in Abbortsford BC. She carried dual citizenships.

Gail walked out wearing stilletto boots, dark wash jeans and a fitted silk red blouse as she pulled on her cardigan. A benefit of working night shift was that management didn't care what you wore. No office clothes for the night shift. On the other cycle night shift, Gerard wore stained jogging pants and ripped t-shirts. No one saw them holed up in there anyway. But Gail liked to look nice. She walked the labyrinth of hallways to the arrivals area, across to the employee parking lot. It was before morning gridlock, so she made the one hour journey from Sea-Tac to Olympia.

Walking in the front door, Lacey was just finishing getting ready for school. Gail kissed her daughter off to the school bus and watched from the front door. It was Friday and her days off for this shift fell on the weekend. Tomorrow she was going hiking with Lacey at the north west entrance of Olympic National Park.

Lacey climbed onto the bus slumping into herself in shame. She hated boarding the bus where kids could see her coming from the double wide trailer park. Her mother waved from the front door in tight clothing with big long curly blonde hair, blue eyes, stilleto boots, red acryllic nails, large breasts and a small waist. People assumed her mother had implants much to Lacey's chagrin. But this was just how her mother naturally was. Kids made fun of her about her mother. Her mother was very pretty. But they all knew her mother worked nights and slept all day from playing at her house visiting a few of the kids living in the trailer park. They had found out that her father was in prison. Putting these pieces of information together, the kids called her mother a hooker and her father a pimp. With a name like Lacey, that her mother had picked out when she was fourteen when she was born this hadn't gone over well. Lacey looked like her Quileute Grandfather, Gail's father and her own Blackfoot father. Her creamy skin reflected her European ancestry, but the rest of her reflected her aboriginal heritage.

She loved her mother. When she was small, she remembered her mother always going to school when they lived with her grandparents in Forks. Her mother had moved them closer to Seattle when she turned eighteen taking welfare while she went to college. For a year her mother hand been working nights at the airport while going to college. She knew her mother could be serious and competent when she needed to be. But socially her mother came off as an airhead. She was a sweet woman, but sometimes she was too much for Lacey. The ten year old girl shrunk into herself ready for another school day of humiliation.

* * *

Quil Sr was suspicious. He'd woken up and Leah wasn't as angry as he had expected after their first night in the tent. She had seemed broken. He thought she would have some fight in her. In a way it was disappointing. If she had been her usual hostile self, he would have felt justified reacting in kind. But seeing Leah broken made it clear that he really had done something horrible. He felt something that he rarely felt; guilt. And so he soothed her as best he could. To make it worse, he had assured her that he would wait for her to ovulate before he tried again. He thought that would be another day. But her scent had changed that afternoon. His wolf told him that it was time. But she didn't seem any better. He assauged his wolf with promises that he would wait until nightfall.

He stood at the entrance of the cave while Leah watched the ground at his feet curled in a ball of blanket. In the distance, there was a faint glow from Seattle that he could see with his wolf enhanced eyesight. The night sky was filled with a crescent shaped moon and stars. It was beautiful. He looked down at Leah's covered form. It was time.

"Leah." Quil spoke softly. Her eyes met his. "Undress for me." He saw a split second of resistance in her eyes. An ounce of fight and his hope for a fight returned. But then hesitation and a look of defeat took it's place. If she only fought he wouldn't feel guilty.

She stood, letting the blanket fall to the ground. She shivered against the cold as she undressed before his eyes. He slipped a hand into his pants and began to stroke himself. He looked over her and pointed into the tent.

Leah had felt a knot of fear and anticipation all day. She wanted to fight back, but that wouldn't get her out of here. Deceit would be her fight. She lay down and focused on her favourite memories.

Two hours later, he had fallen asleep holding her on top of him. She woke him briefly. "I need to wash myself."

Quil grunted and she carefully made her way down to the shore in her pajamas. She knew with a short explanation, he would continue to sleep without her for hours.

It wasn't as cold as the night before, but still cold. She removed her clothes and prayed that this wasn't a death sentence. She made her way carefully into the water. She took fast gasps for breath. _Get tough or die_. She told herself and continued the painful journey into the water. She forced herself to begin swimming to the mainland. She felt like she couldn't breathe in properly. She forced breaths in and out keeping her head dry.

* * *

Bella woke up to warm hands shaking her. She could smell Paul standing over her.

"You were screaming. I couldn't listen to it anymore." He whispered to his imprint. She remembered the dream and shuddered. He felt need radiating from her.

"What can I do?" He asked.

She remembered all of the nights that Renee had cuddled with her in motel beds after bad dreams. Would Paul be able to take the place of Renee? She would find out. She moved over and looked down at the space beside her.

Paul smirked. "The lady would like to share her bed." He chuckled. "I think I can accommodate that." He climbed in feeling a moment of guilt that he was taking a break from searching for Leah. But he had been searching all day. One hour to spend with his frightened imprint would have to be accepted.

The bed warmed greatly under Paul's heat. His imprint felt delicious in his arms wearing a thin cotton shirt and shorts. Her young supple body in his arms. He fought the urge to run his hands up and down her body, kneading and tugging his way. He felt the urge feel her writhing underneath her. He wanted to make her scream his name. But he knew she wasn't nearly ready for all of that. She had only just had her first kiss. He would need to exercise patience. It was nice that she was reaching a point that she trusted him enough to share her bed with him.

Building a physical relationship was going to be the longest foreplay of his life. He fell asleep dreaming about her soft, tight and wet center.

Bella heard him groaning and rubbing his hardness against her back. She wasn't sure if she was scared or turned on. She decided that she was safe and ignored his behaviour. She enjoyed his body wrapped around her keeping her safe in a way that Renee had never been able to.

* * *

After some time she realized that her muscles weren't responding anymore and her breathing had became so difficult that Leah was going to suffocate before she could drown. Her entire body was numb and she was looking without seeing. Suffocating seemed preferable at this moment to going back to the tent in the cave.

A lead clamp pulled her through the water. "That was a _big.. fucking.._ mistake." A man's voice spoke gruffly. Quil Sr took her back to the tent and nursed her back to health.

* * *

Going back to school was not a moment that Bella was looking forward to. She entered the school, still wearing her bandages. At her locker she saw Lauren and Jessica approaching. She had thought they were mostly harmless before. But now she knew they were as much of a threat to her as the man who attacked her when she was stealing auto parts from his car. She couldn't physically eliminate this threat in this environment. She made a decision. She did what she knew best. Intimidation tactics that she could follow through on.

Lauren and Jessica were confronted by a dark and deadly Bella. They found their backs up against the locker as the smaller and younger looking girl intimidated them.

"I was frost bitten. I could have lost digits or died. You will not approach me, talk to me for reasons aside from classes, interfere with my life, gossip about me, threaten my happiness or disturb me again. I will not have patience for you a second time. If you fuck this up, I will fuck you up slowly and painfully while your parents sleep in the next room." Her eyes flashed for a moment. Her low, dark and sure voice dropping to a whisper. "Don't fucking doubt me. Eleven years off the radar and I was found only because I had a psychotic episode after my mother died." She leaned up close to Lauren's ear. "I will use my teeth to rip the skin from your flesh, strip by strip if you cross me again you stupid bitch."

Bella backed up, smiled sweetly. She felt so much better for that. Then slipped into the crowd and disappeared. It was disturbing to Lauren and Jessica how Bella could seem to disappear and appear without notice. They shared looks and silently agreed to never talk about this again. Bella and the girls had come to an understanding.

* * *

Jacob and Embry made a quick run into the grocery store. They avoided all topics that might broach Leah. They talked only about food.

Gail and Lacey were stocking up on water and snacks for the hike that Gail had forgotten to pack leaving home. Gail was ogling a tall dark and handsome man. She hadn't slept with Carl in a long time and while she managed to keep her eyes on her work around the men at work. Outside of work she enjoyed looking at men and imagining what they could do to her. The hot young man met her eyes with a smirk before they widened into awe and wonder. Gail snorted in an unladylike manner at the strange response. Lacey tugged on her mother's arm. She didn't like the unusual flirting and wanted to take off for their hike. Gail grinned mischievously at the man and glanced at his handsome companion who was laughing at them both. She followed her daughter to the check out.

"Hi, I'm Jacob. The guy staring at you is Embry." The handsome companion greeted Gail at the check out line with humour.

"Mom, no flirting. We're hiking, let's go!" Lacey insisted. Jacob looked down at Lacey bemused.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Lacey, she's Gail. She'll flirt with you but she won't date you because she loves my Dad." Lacey informed him impatiently. She knew her mother's routine with men all too well. Her mother loved to flirt. But she never cheated on Carl. She also knew another nugget of information that scared men off who weren't scared off by a ten year old daughter. "My Dad's in prison right now, but when he gets out he'll hunt you down and kick your ass." She said crossing her arms and glaring at him.

Jacob fought a laugh and smiled at her. Of course this would be the situation of Embry's imprint.

"Lacey!" Gail admonished. "I am so sorry! She's right, I have a boyfriend. I'm not looking for a relationship." She'd only ever been with one man. The same man since she had turned fourteen even though he had been in and out of prison for most of those ten years.

"You look so young, how do you have a kid this big?" Embry woke up and blurted out. His imprint was clearly older than him. But how much older?

Gail and Jacob laughed at him awkwardly. Lacey glared at him realizing that she was losing valuable hiking time on these idiots.

"I er..." Gail hated to share this with people. She made a wonderful mistake as a kid and she was going to have to keep explaining herself for the rest of her life. "I had Lacey when I was fourteen. I'm twenty-four and she's ten years old."

Embry was putting together the information presented to him. His beautiful imprint had a baby at fourteen years old with a guy who's in prison. She was wearing cargo pants, hiking boots and a tan coloured raincoat. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, her blue eyes free of make-up. She looked a bit like Kate Hudson with her disarming smile. She had a pretty daughter who looked Quileute. It looked to Embry that his imprint already had a thing for Native Americans. Based on what he saw and heard he wasn't sure what to think. But he needed a last name and hopefully an address or phone number. At a volume only Jacob would hear, he spoke.

"I'm following her for the rest of the day until I find out where she lives." Jacob's mouth twitched as he fought to keep his smile without breaking into a fit of laughter. This was the nicest thing that had happened since Leah had gone missing. He pushed that thought aside.

"Well, I should get moving. Looks like you're going hiking. Embry here knows some really good trails if you're interested." Jacob suggested.

Lacey cringed. Gail with her bubbly and trusting personality beamed. "Can you find the Dranga trail? We're looking for it again. We're saw it years back and now I can't find it for the life of me." And then she launched into a conversation with Embry about some of the trailsin the area.

Jacob politely retreated back on the search for Leah and Lacey followed her mother and Embry through the check out while seething. So much for her mother daughter hike.

* * *

AN: I know, I know. Poor Leah and when will Quil Sr just die?


	14. Imprint and Quil Jr

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Imprint and Quil Jr  
**

**Chapter 14**

AN: Thanks again to my reviewers. A few short viewpoints. Should be less breaks within the next chapter.

* * *

The rain had been coming down the entire hike. Lacey had been warming up to Embry but had made a point of keeping her distance. Everything seemed to be going naturally when Gail stopped at washrooms for Lacey to go to the toilet. She took some steps away from the washroom and indicated for Embry to follow her. After a day of chatting with the bubbly and happy blonde, she seemed having a change in personality. A switch had been flipped and she was serious.

"What are you?" She asked flatly. Embry's heart stopped and he stared at his imprint. He remembered other imprints from the pack mind. He knew the girls said they felt a connection, but nothing obvious. None of them had flat out asked this. To be honest, she hadn't seemed particularly insightful given she chattered about hiking, Lady Gaga and Lacey. His imprint was far more astute than he had expected. She reacted to his shock.

"We don't have much time until she comes back out. What are you? I can tell you're not human. You move silently. You haven't even breathed heavier while we were climbing the rock face. You slink when you move. Like a predator, but I don't feel like your prey. And I feel... I feel... vibrations on the air. You aren't human. I won't make any promises that I'll leave or stay. But you're going to be honest with me. What are you?" She had had a brief encounter with a vampire years ago, even if she didn't know what it was even now. That was the last time she had felt the vibration in the air. It had come more slowly with Embry, but she wouldn't ignore it. Gail could read people. Her daughter called her naive. But Gail just had a feeling about people and she was usually right.

Embry gulped. "I'm a protector. I am a predator, I hunt vampires."

Gail watched his face and was silent for a moment. "There's something more. You protect. It would seem you want to protect me. Why?" She scrutinized his face still.

He felt like he was in front of a judge, jury and executioner. "I just imprinted on you. We're connected." He waited while she considered this, expecting to run away screaming. She finally nodded as though she had come to a decision.

"You're not going to harm me or Lacey." She said. It was a statement of what she understood. "Understand I have a child to worry about here. I wouldn't pry but I need all of the facts. We won't talk about this now because Lacey's coming out. I want the rest of the information after she's gone to bed." Embry nodded feeling like he was two feet tall in front of this five foot seven inches tall woman.

"Hey baby, you're all done." Gail addressed Lacey. "Tell me if you've heard this one before. A man was driving down the highway with a car full of penguins. Penguins sticking out the windows, penguins coming out the sunroof, penguin everywhere. A cop pulled him over and told him if he didn't want a ticket he'd better take those penguins straight to the zoo. The man promised he  
would and drove off.

"The next day, the same highway, the same car, the same guy, the same cop and the same penguins - only this time the penguins were all wearing sunglasses! The cop pulled the guy over and said, 'I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo!'

'I did' said the guy, 'Today I'm taking them to the beach!'" Lacey giggled and they made the half hour hike back to the car.

Embry wondered how he would survive his imprint.

* * *

For the third time, the pack had finished searching the Olympic Peninsula. They had traveled into Canada, Idaho and Oregon. Jacob had forced all information from Joshua and found nothing. Quil Jr had an idea where his father might be. He wanted dear old 'Dad' to suffer a long and excruciating death and didn't think Jacob would provide it. Jacob would banish Quil Sr or execute him quickly. Neither option went far enough for Quil Jr. He thought about his imprint Claire. How could his father do the things he had done to his mother when she was his imprint? It would have been far too much for Quil Jr to attempt. Nor would he have had any incentive to hurt Claire like that in the first place. His father was a mangy rabid dog and he needed to be put down.

Quil needed an opportunity to break out of the pack without anyone noticing. He didn't care about them finding out that he tortured and killed his father afterwards. So long as he accomplished his goals before the pack caught wind of it. He had two goals. Rescue Leah, pay Dad back. All of this searching was making impossible to start the real search. There were islands all around the Olympic Peninsula. If that failed, he would travel to Victoria Island BC and then try further south. He'd keep going until he reached Hawaii if he had to. But he had to find his father before the pack did. He worried that Leah would be pregnant, maimed or dead before he got there. If she had a baby would that make her his step-mother? He blanched at the idea. The idea of his father taking... He couldn't even finish the trail of thought. His heart broke for Leah. The whole packs hearts were breaking for her.

Several times Quil Jr had almost told them his idea. Leah might be out to sea. On a boat or an island. But he knew Jacob would carefully control them and bring his father to the Council under Alpha command. That was unacceptable. He worried when Embry seemed to be onto an idea of the water, but then he'd been distracted by tick much to Quil's relief.

His break was almost over. He had been standing in the nude in the tree line on the cliffs looking out to sea. Cool moist air whipped around him. He pushed all of these thoughts into a little box for later. Then he let the heat run down his spine and stepped forward shifting into a wolf.

Back to the pointless search.

* * *

After dinner and a movie, Lacey was sent to bed. She stared at Embry wondering why this man was in the house. Her mother had never brought a man over before. Her mother loved her father. Even if her Dad was in prison, he was a good Dad. Sometimes he got roped along into some stupid plans and got himself arrested. He was a gentle giant in her eyes. Gail appreciated what a good father Carl was. And he was gentle and loving with Gail. But after eleven years, she was frustrated that he had spent more than half of Lacey's life in prison. He couldn't support them from jail. He couldn't be there to hold her at night. But she loved him and she stood by him. He had waited three years for her. She would wait for him.

Now Gail needed to know what was happening with the "protector". She observed him sitting on the couch and poured herself a glass of wine.

"What would you like to drink? I'm having a glass of pinot noir. But I have beer, coffee, water, orange juice and pepsi." She called out from the kitchen. Her voice had changed again. She was ready to talk business again. It was amazing how fast she seemed to change personalities the moment her daughter left the room.

"Pepsi please." He answered. Her home was nicely taken care of. There was some light decoration, but clearly her budget had limits. He noticed the old tv with an antannae.

She came down to sit at the opposite end of the couch handing him his pepsi. He watched her sip back on her drink before looking back at him as though making a decision before she spoke.

"When I was eighteen, I was at a restaurant sitting with my girlfriends while Lacey was with my mother. The most gorgeous man, a little older than us, sat down at our table. My friends were thrilled, but I had the strangest sensation. I could hear a tiny buzzing sound in my ears. He felt like a predator. He was unhumanly attractive, his skin was pasty white and he didn't move like a normal person. He met my eyes and I felt helpless. I couldn't say why, but I was terrified. Here with you, I can hear a tiny buzzing sound in my ears. I feel helpless. But I can also feel a connection. I'm not scared. I don't think you're anymore human than that man was." Gail finished talking. She had been looking him in the eyes while she was talking, reading his reactions. She finally released him from her stare before swirling her glass of wine and taking another sip.

"What happened with the guy?" Embry asked feeling tense.

"I took pictures of him with my camera phone, I sat down next to him and sent the picture making sure he could see what I was doing. I sent the picture to a half dozen people saying that the guy was creeping me out. He looked pissed off and left. My friends knew I did something and were annoyed. I was scared he might just kill us all. I don't know why. I just had a feeling. Just in case he did something, I wanted everyone to have a picture of the weirdo." Embry breathed a sigh of relief. "Tell me more about what you are."

"I'm a part of a pack in La Push. We're werewolves. We protect our people from vampires. When we find out soul mates, we imprint on them. The world stopped for me. You became my center of gravity. I'll be anything you want me to be." He tried to keep it simple and straight and honest. She watched him quietly for a moment and switched back to her playful personality.

"I like mimes! Can you be my mime!" She asked enthusiastically. Embry stared at her, his jaw falling open. She cracked into giggles. He watched nervously realizing that she was teasing him.

"I have a boyfriend. He has twenty-two months left to do or he might get out early on patrol." She smiled brightly and grabbed a picture from the wall and showing his picture proudly to Embry. He saw a handsome Native American, but he didn't look Quileute. He did look twice his imprints age.

"How old is he?" Embry asked. Gail sighed. He was on the ages again.

"Fourty-five."

"Is that what he went to prison for?" He read the confusion on her face. "If you were fourteen and he was thirty-fouror thirty-five years old when you had Lacey. That's not legal." He put it as delicately as he could. He cringed at the idea of a middle aged man sleeping with a fourteen year old girl. He didn't approve of Carl for a number of things already.

"I grew up in Canada, legal age of consent was fourteen until a couple of years ago." She frowned. "My American Dad tried to have him arrested, he didn't know the age of consent there. That's when he moved us back to Forks. He said Carl had to wait until I turned eighteen. You're Quileute right?" She brightened up. He nodded. "So am I!" He raised an eyebrow and looked her over. She giggled. "My Dad's Quileute. Stan Chohominey. My mother's Canadian, German and French."

He looked her over. She was hot, what did it matter if she didn't look Native, she was his. He just had to figure out how to get over the convict hurdle.

* * *

A few people watched with amusement at the young man and teenage girl in the shallow end of the pool. Paul was calmly instructing a determined but scared Hell Cat. She really was like a cat; Paul mused. Cat's hate water. But she was willing to learn. The truth was, she was willing to make a fool of herself to hang out with him. He was so busy with the pack this week that she hardly saw him. So she willing wore the bikini Leah had bought and splashed around like a fool in the kiddy pool at the YMCA in Port Angeles. It was the one request Paul had made of Jacob. Swimming with Bella.

Paul was appreciating the view, eyeing where her hips and breasts were filling out. Somewhere between an A and B cup. Her arms and legs were already gorgeously sculpted from all of the exercise she did. She had tight abdominal muscles that were becoming less obvious as she put on fat and developed more womanly curves. She still had some growing to do, but he more than approved of what he saw.

Bella appreciated the view, eyeing his large muscled torso. She blushed thinking about the v sliding into his swimming trunks.

They both liked all of the opportunities swimming lessons provided them to touch each other. She frequently wrapped her arms around his neck. He held her waist, her hips and just about everywhere as he explained things to her. She was a quick study.

"So, I think that's enough study for one day. Playtime!" Paul smirked getting out of the pool to collect some foam floaters and threw them into the pool.

Bella stood in the pool trying not to look at one in particular. Paul walked back into the water to join her. She snatched the noodle and clocked him in the face with it. He stared at her darkly and they were both silent as though having a show down. Their small audience were worried for the girl, but noticed that she didn't look scared. As though on cue, they both started grabbing foam floaters and attacked each other with them. Bella struggled moving around in the unfamiliar water and repeatedly fell swallowing pool water. Calling uncle she clung to Paul coughing and spluttering looking like a drowned kitten. He wrapped her in his arms returning the floaters out of the pool and helped her out. The entire time she let out a murmur of vulgar curse words at him as he held her close at a volume their audience couldn't hear. He grinned listening to her diction.

"Stupid, cocksucking, cum dumpster. Trying to fucking drown me. If you think I'm going to kiss you again after that... Numbnuts, short bus, know-it-all, asshole, son of a bitch, won't get me in here again. Thinks he can almost drown me..." She continued muttering mostly to herself but marginally for his benefit.

At the door to the women's change room he spoke. "How else do you learn to swim? Do you have a better idea?"

Realization dawned on her face. Then determination. "That can't be right. That can't be how you teach someone to swim." She stated with finality.

"Why not?"

"Why, why not? Because, you see..w-when. That can't be right because that would make me wrong!" She huffed and went into the womens change room in a huff.

He stared at the door for a minute before walking away. She was becoming another crazy hormonal woman as far as he was concerned. And he loved that.

* * *

Three days after the miserable escape attempt, Quil Sr made his third and fourth attempt for a baby. He hadn't been talking to her. He had taken care of her needs while she was recovering, but ignored Leah. He felt betrayed.

"I'm going for a walk." Quil announced. "If you want to, you can come too." She nodded and quickly pulled on her coat and shoes that Quil seemed to have produced out of nowhere. She only had pajamas, so she huddled against the cold. Quil huffed and pulled her against him as the walked around the small tree laden island. He didn't try to soothe her anymore. She had lost his trust. It would take time to rebuild it again. But he didn't take his anger on her. He saw her as a commodity still. She was worth equal value to a child Alpha but currently in equal value. He wouldn't damage valuable goods. She wasn't likely to make another escape attempt after that painful venture. And so he didn't say anything. He made she that she was healthy and that was all.

The walk came to an end and Quil took her to bed with him. Each night he draped himself over her. If it hadn't been so cold in the tent, she would have over heated. He often cuddled with her to keep her warm. She had grown used to numbing herself to his touch. She didn't hide her tears each night. She wanted him to know how much this hurt her. And maybe he'd think she was broken again.

She would never let him break her though. It was the one battle she knew she was sure to win against him.

* * *

AN: Don't you wish Quil Jr would pull his thumb out of his arse?


	15. Hunted Down With A Bread Knife

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Hunted Down With A Bread Knife  
**

**Chapter 15**

AN: I don't know if this will please reader's or not. But it was the plan.

* * *

In all the years Paul had gone to school, he had always been an average student. His last year had been difficult after phasing for the first time. He had missed some school but the elder three wolves weren't used to having the extra hands the younger wolves provided. So he had graduated and maybe had a possibility of going to college if that had been option. He never would have thought he would be in the position to tutor someone. He had spent the better part of the afternoon in the Swan's residence at their kitchen table tutoring Bella on writing. Charlie had been kind enough to share notes home from her teacher in her special ed class. She was a very fast learner. From walking into La Push with a Grade six reading level, Kindergarten writing abilities and Grade one math abilities, she had come a long way in a matter of months. Her reading ability improved the fastest and she was already age appropriate and she was likely to advance beyond average soon enough. Her writing abilities were set around a Grade four after rough start. She understood the rules at this point for the most part, she mostly needed practice. Her math was a sore point. She tended to panic. When she was calm, she could solve problems quickly with her sharp mind. But when she put pressure on herself or felt under the clock, she panicked. She could consistently be placed at a Grade four level. But the teacher noted that she had slipped in Grade six and Grade nine level lessons and Bella was capable of the higher levels. She just needed to relax and have a little confidence. No one had expected so much from her so soon.

As Paul patrolled while Embry and Joshua searched for Leah, he thought about what she had written. To practice, she had been asked to attempt poetry. Her first attempts in her life at poetry and strangely, he enjoyed being a part of it. She wrote about a safe harbour under the sun. Standing on the dock being embraced by warm golden brown. Paul sensed that Embry was about to tease him about his imprint. Paul brought Gail to the forefront of his mind and Embry stopped before he could start.

The sun was setting and Joshua was growing impatient and frustrated. Leah was nearly a daughter to him. The search was down to two wolves at a time. Two shimmers came up as two wolves joined the pack mind.

_I'm going to pull you apart slowly and painfully you miserable mangy disgusting dog. _They felt Quil Jr's mind darkly threatening his father as he growled. He showed the images he had imagined of the act of ripping his father apart.

_Don't do this! I don't want to hurt you! _Came Quil Sr's panicked mind as he remembered the bloody death of his imprints father.

_Murderer!_ Joshua realized.

Quil's mind held images of a cave above a sea. Offshore. Leah stood against the wall looking frustrated.

"Where are the pack Quil?" Asked Leah in human form. She was worried Quil Jr would die and she'd stay out here with his father until the day she died.

Joshua let out a howl to call the others. They began to run for the shore. Paul was closest.

_Which island? _Pauls yelled. But Quil Jr was circling his father in the cave with inadequate room for a fight. His focus didn't leave Quil Sr's body. From Quil Sr's mind, his son looked almost rabid. Paul made a judgement call and shifted to human form to swim to the closest island with cliffs that he could see. This was Quickly spiraling into a rescue Leah and Quil Jr mission.

Seth and Jacob phased eager to find Leah. They reacted to what they could see and headed to the water. Soon the rest of the pack had shifted and joined them.

Quil Jr launched himself at Quil Sr. The large and more experienced and higher ranking wolf fended off his son.

_You're brave. _He thought to his son. _But as stupid as your mother. _He seemed disappointed. _This is not how you accomplish revenge. _

Quil Jr growled. Images came up of discussions he had had with his mother and thoughts he'd tricked out of his father. Quil Jr knew. Quil Sr was embarrassed. The pack was confused.

_The lying and the betrayal and the beating and the manipulating and the death threats and the murders! And now you can add kidnapping and we're guessing rape. _Quil Jr listed off his father's transgressions painfully. Quil Sr's mind flashed an image of holding Leah down as she cried before cutting off. Disgust, rage and indignity went up through the pack. _I'm ashamed of you. _Quil Jr spat before taking another lunge at the older wolf. He threw up images that the pack didn't know were real or imagined. Quil Sr was beginning to have difficulty fighting off his son without hurting the less experienced wolf. Quil Jr had a wound across his nose and a gash on his left flank.

Leah tried to fight the trembling. She feared the pack didn't know where she was still and weren't phased watching this. She feared Quil Jr's death and it hurt to see her brother injured. But most of all, she was scared of Quil Sr escaping with her. She fought her fear and stood her ground at the wall at the cave entrance.

The last of the pack had reached the water and phased to human. Quil Sr and Jr shared a mind alone.

The first island Paul reached was empty. The pack changed directions. There was another island that was a likely contender and the swam as fast they could. The speeds at which they swam widely varied by their human skills. Joshua, Paul and Sam being the strongest swimmers had a clear lead. Which wasn't surprising due to them being closely related and growing up swimming in this ocean. While Jared and Jacob followed behind due to brute force less than skill. The rest staggered behind at different paces.

Quil Sr grew impatient and pinned his son down to the ground catching his throat in his jaw. Quil Jr whined but refused to submit.

Leah watched, her breath caught in her throat. Was he about to kill his own son? She felt hope drop and panic surface. She started screaming at Quil Sr and pounded on his back with her fists as hard as she could.

"Get off of him!" She shrieked.

When he turned his attention on Leah, Quil Jr took advantage of the loss of focus and twisted out of his father's hold. Someone's limb or tail caught Leah at the ankle. Out of their line of sight she fell out of the cave and dragged over the side of the cliff. Cold jagged edges scraped down her body harshly after the force had lifted her shirt she struggled to find purchase hurting her hands on the rocks. It wasn't a very high cliff, but it was high enough to injure or possibly kill her. Her breathing came in harsh gasps as she fought for her life.

From the water, the pack saw Leah whip out of the cave and then fighting to catch hold of the cliff. Their stomachs dropped. It would take a few minutes before they could reach her. They saw her drop and then heard her shriek. It was a short fall. It looked as though she had narrowly missed the rocks but hit he water at a bad angle.

"Sam, take Quil and hold him until I return." Jacob ordered.

"Got it!" Sam yelled. The rest of the pack focused on getting Leah, making sure she was out of the freezing water and breathing and to the hospital.

Joshua and Paul had Leah halfway to shore when Sam approached the cave from the cliffs barely existant path. He saw Quil Jr and Quil Sr standing still at the edge of the cave watching the pack swim to shore. They turned their eyes on Sam and were silent. Sam gave Quil Jr a look of reproach. Quil Jr turned his eyes to the ground in submission. Sam them walked to Quil Sr with a murderous look in his eye. The man waited, prepared for whatever punishment came. Seeing what Quil Jr had dished out of his transgressions to the pack, he suspected death. Sam and Quil Sr held gazes and Sam heaved in angry breaths standing inches away from the older wolves face. Quil Sr body language held resignation. The tension was palpable. In an instant, Sam knocked the older wolf unconscious.

* * *

Jacob, Paul and Seth stood around Leah's bed and waited. She had lost weight in the nearly two weeks that she had been missing. She hadn't been sleeping. But it didn't appear as though Quil had been hitting her. The staff seemed to think that she was in excellent condition considering the story they had given. They already filed a missing persons report out on her when she went missing. The story being that she had been attacked reappared on the cliffs at La Push before they saw her falling over the edge.

She woke up to familiar faces and felt relief that she was alive.

"Oh God not your ugly faces." She groaned.

"Morning Sleeping Beauty. Get your ass up. The nurse has _a_... kit for you to take." Jacob tried to tease her as best he could but he needed answers.

Jake hit her with reality a little too soon. She glared at him. "Am I pregnant?" The three guys cringed at her question.

"They took a blood test. But they'll only tell you. Patient confidentiality." Jacob explained. "Do you want Sue? She went for coffee."

"How long was I out for?" She was surprised her mother was there already.

"You took a good knock to the head. About five hours. They stitched up your head, down your front and your hands. Looks like you fractured a rib." Jacob's throat felt tight.

"I'll get Mom." Seth said leaving the room quietly. They watched him leave.

"What happened?" Paul asked as soon as Seth was out of hearing range.

"He fucked me repeatedly, what the fuck do you think happened Paul?" Leah spat at him, her eyes were flashing. "What do you want? Diagrams? What kind of question is that? I'm not Hell Cat, I didn't stab him in the eye. I just got bruises from hitting him." She felt bruises down her fists and arms from pounding on Quil Sr earlier. "And why the hell didn't I know that you guys can smell when women are ovulating? I never noticed that." Leah clamped down all of the emotions overwhelming her and focused on the one she knew how to deal with. Anger.

"We like how women smell. We find patterns." Paul said softly. Jake shook his head at Paul's wrong answer from behind Leah's back. Jake motioned for Paul to cut it out and shut up.

"Just get out. I'm waiting for Mom." Leah responded surprising them by sounding defeated. Jake and Paul began to file out of the room feeling like failures. "I want him dead." Leah said without looking up. "I don't want to wonder if he's coming back. If he'll slime his way out of your next Alpha command. I want him dead."

"I understand." Jacob acknowledged Leah. At a volume Leah couldn't hear as they walked away Paul asked a question.

"Are you going to kill him?" Jake regrettably shook his head in the negative.

Sue returned to the room and pulled Leah into her arms. Soon after her doctor and nurse returned. A rape kit was performed and with her permission, Leah was given mifepristone with instructions to return the next day for misoprostol. She listened carefully to this part of the instructions as they were the most important to her. She didn't have to return the next day, they kept her in overnight to observe her head trauma. Leah felt detached from the situation and heard little of what was being said. She waited to go home and hide in her bed. She was regretting being human right now.

* * *

"If you won't kill him, let me!" Quil Jr asked as his father watched from the couch. Discussions of what to do with Quil Sr had lasted several days. His son had raged at the news that Quil Sr wouldn't be put to death. It hurt that his son wanted him dead so badly.

Jacob shook his head. The pack watched the exchange unsure of how to react. It seemed wrong to leave Quil Sr alive, but it seemed wrong to kill a brother.

"If you would just listen to all that I have found out about him you would agree with me. Look at what he did to Leah, how can you let him live?" Jacob sighed.

"Quil, please leave." He told his friend.

Quil Jr glared at his father. "You're a dead man! Dead!" Then Quil Jr sneered at Jacob. "This is weak man. Weak." Quil Jr stalked from the room. He ignored the talking behind him and headed home. At home, in his father's desk he pulled out a small black book. He thumbed through the pages until he found what he wanted. He dialed the number on the phone pad and waited.

_"Hello?"_ A woman's voice rang.

"Asook." He grunted swallowing down his rage. There was a long pause before a man's voice came on.

"Hi Quil. To what do I owe the pleasure of talking to you again. It's been a long time." Asook's voice was polite but carried a dangerous undertone.

"Wrong Quil. This is his son." Quil Jr growled into the phone. It hurt to hear confirmation that Asook and his father were on speaking terms.

"What a surprise! How can I help you Junior?" The older wolf asked cheerfully.

"My father's being exiled from La Push with an Alpha command to stay human. I have reason to believe you want him dead. I wanted to let you know he'll be leaving tonight at sunset, in human form." He took a breath and finished his message. "And if you kill him, I know for a fact that no one from La Push will seek vengence." Neither spoke for a long pause.

"Is that a request?" Asook asked.

"I don't speak for anyone but myself. As his son, it is a request. I am under orders not to touch him." Quil Jr bit out.

"Jaydee, I'm on the phone." Asook called out to a child. "I have to say, this really is a surprise young Quil. Can I ask what he did wrong? I wouldn't want to be on your badside." Asook's voice was filled with humour. His voice made Quil's skin crawl.

"I'm not at liberty to say." Quil answered tightly.

"It doesn't involve a certain She-Wolf who's fertile because she's not phasing right now does it? Did he succeed?" Quil started shaking almost bursting out of his skin in his father's office.

"I'm not sharing anymore information with you." He said and slammed the phone down. He breathed heavily and stared at the phone as if it could hurt him.

"Thank you Quil." Quil Jr startled at the female voice. He had been so focused on the phone conversation that he hadn't heard her follow him. "How do you know the Makah will want him dead?"

Quil grinned. "He has history with them. He hurt an imprint." They shared a moment of silence. "How are you?"

Leah gulped. How would he react to what she had done? Would he see it as killing a sibling? He'd find out when she phased eventually. The truth felt important to her. "I had an abortion." She teared up.

Quil nodded. "I don't blame you." Leah broke down crying and Quil rushed over to her and held her in his arms. "It was really stupid trying to kill him on my own huh?" Leah laughed at his question.

"It was incredibly dumb. You almost won a Darwin Award." She half sobbed and half laughed. "But no one would have gone along with you. I'm glad you wanted to." He held her away to look at her.

"You're going to be okay. You know that right? Things are going to get better and you're going to be happy." Quil assured her.

"Quil the Prophet!" She said in a grand voice. She dried her face and they headed outside. "Sure, things are going to be fucking wonderful Quil. We know how my luck works." She wasn't nearly okay, but Quil was at the very least comforting to have around.

As they opened the front door a young man stood at the door with his fist held up prepared to knock. His eyes met Leah's and his mouth dropped open in awe. Quil grinned but Leah looked angry.

She gritted her teeth. "Is this what I think it is?"

"Yep. New pup phased last week. Brady just imprinted on you." Quil groaned. "This is _really_ bad timing."

Leah marched back inside the house while Brady looked hurt. Leah came out holding a large bread knife and started running for poor young Brady. He looked torn between amused and confused.

Quil shook his head at Brady grinning. "Run." Brady's eyes widened as he comprehended Leah's reaction and he turned and ran. Seth and Paul watched from the road wondering what happened when they saw Brady being chased by Leah with a bread knife.

Quil joined them. "Brady imprinted on her."

"Young love." Paul commented.

Seth looked worried.

* * *

AN: I think Leah being imprinted on being a good or bad thing depends on your viewpoint. I hope you enjoyed the chapter or at least aren't too mad at me.


	16. Brewing Storms

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Brewing Storms  
**

**Chapter 16**

AN: Trouble not caused by the Council for once. So, Bella is starting to act more like a teenager. Jacob is weighed down by his new role. And Embry is in over his head with an imprint devoted to another man. Next chapter we check back in with Leah and Brady, I promise.

* * *

Saturday morning Bella washed the floors, did her laundry and then made an attempt at her maths homework. She worked quietly at the coffee table for half an hour before she threw her pencil down and swallowed back the lump in her throat and tears welling in her eyes. She glared at the homework in frustration realizing that her wolf would feel what she was feeling. He'd be around soon and she'd have to admit that her homework got the better of her. She fought for a full breath of air under wracking sobs fighting to win control over her surface state.

The stereo system caught her eye. It had an unfamiliar record player. She guessed that would mean that Charlie would have records. She had no idea what music Charlie listened to. Bella wanted to know more about her father, but she didn't know what questions to ask. It occured to her now that maybe his record collection might tell her a little about him. A door swung down from the cabinet that was lined with records. She pulled out the first one and looked at the stereo warily trying to figure out how to work make the record player work. How did she get the wheel to spin? She lifted the cover and looked for a play button, but there wasn't one.

She was glad Charlie was at work all day so he wouldn't see how clueless his daughter was. He would probably be embarrassed.

There was a knock on the front door. Bella jumped to her feet and flung the door open without looking or saying word as her mind continued to concentrate on the workings of a record player. She'd never watched someone use one before. Everything was cd's, mp3's or cassette tapes.

"You have no idea how disturbing I find it that you didn't even see who was standing here and you just threw the door open for me." Paul shuddered.

Bella didn't say anything still searching the system for the set of buttons to work the record player. She had assumed it was Paul at the door. Somehow, she knew it was Paul at the door. And she was right. It didn't matter what he thought about her response.

"Is this what had you upset? A record?" Paul asked.

Bella looked up at him and glanced back at the coffee table and the laid out homework. Paul gave a curt nod to show he understood.

She looked between him and the record player before holding up the record to him from her kneeling position.

"I can't find the play button. Can you work this please?" His imprint was a lady of few words, but often they were entertaining. Her lack of normal experiences made it easy for him to entertain her and for that he was grateful in some ways. He knew she would be upset if he laughed. She would feel stupid and it was already a sore point. So he focused on keeping a straight face and took the record from her. She moved back from him and watched what he did. He carefully let the record out avoiding touching all but the center of very edges on both sides like a double sided dvd. He carefully placed the record on the turntable and lifted the arm of the needle. The turntable immediately began to spin.

Bella's eyes met Paul's and she laughed. She felt a little silly but Paul didn't make her feel bad about it. The best of Kansas record played Dust In The Wind. Paul stood and pulled her up close to him. He held onto her as they listened quietly standing in the living room. Bella felt tension roll off of her in waves. This wasn't the sort of music she was used to, but it wasn't bad. Or maybe it was just listening to it with Paul was relaxing. She enjoyed the moment.

She felt so good in his arms. Her small hands pressed against his back with her arms wrapped around her waist. His arms embraced around her arms and back.

"Did you want to tell me about the homework? We could work on it together." Paul suggested.

Quickly all of the emotions that had overwhelmed her when she was sitting on the couch at the coffee table returned to her. Foolishness, stupidity, frustration, anger, hurt and pain. Integers weren't for the faint of heart she had concluded. She thrust the emotions into one emotion that she felt more comfortable expressing.

"No." She said. "I want to smoke so much ganja my brain turns to mush and I'll be clearly so dumb that no one approaches me with homework ever again." Bella hadn't shared these private thoughts before. She hadn't realized how comfortable she had grown with Paul and smiled to herself that she had opened up to him. Paul missed this point and focused on his lovely Bella strung out on the couch. The image hurt and he pressed the hurt into anger and protectiveness and possessiveness.

"You find someone who'll share weed with you and I'll crush them like rotten fruit. You're mine and they have no right to fuck with your life." He growled meaning every word that he spoke. Paul had seen lives messed up around the rez from alcoholics and drug addicts. Bella had seen both, but pot was a light fun substance she equated to an alternative to a bowl of ice cream when she wanted cheering up. Certainly not something to respond to as hostilely as Paul had. It struck something in Bella.

"I can smoke pot if I want to Paul!" She pulled back from him and looked him in the eye. "I respect Charlie's rules, but once I'm under my own roof, I'll smoke every freaking day if I want to!" She stormed at him. Paul was flooded with images of meth heads and a stoned listless Bella.

"I would never allow you to." Paul said possessively. Bella felt an implied threat travel down her spine. It hurt that she had trusted him and now he was frightening her. She responded to her hurt with her usual anger. She slapped him and the sound made a resounding clipped noise over Kansas singing Carry On Wayward Son. Of course, it was interesting that she trusted him enough still that she didn't use her usual tactics against him which would be so much more violent. But neither of them noticed this. Her hand felt like she hit a brick wall. Reflexively Paul slapped her back with less force than she had used. The second loud clipped noise stretched out the living room. Her head whipped to the side and she didn't move for a long pause. Her hand and cheek hotly stung.

When she finally looked up at him, she was still shocked. She held a hand up to her cheek. "You slapped me." She gasped.

"You slapped me." He defended. He wanted to say you slapped me harder. But that seemed a childish point.

They stared at each other breathing heavily. Bella was angrily processing her thoughts for the last few minutes. Paul was fearfully sweating bullets wondering what his imprint was going to do. He knew she wouldn't just get over this. Sadly, Bella would have accepted that he slapped her if she had felt that she had done something to deserve it. But she thought over the last few minutes and she didn't feel that she deserved his words. She probably shouldn't have slapped him. But violence was the language she spoke best.

She responded the way she knew best. She flipped him off. "Sit on it and rotate." Then she walked out of the house. He _knew_ well enough not to follow his imprint even as his instincts screeched wildly at him.

* * *

He paced. As the sun rose on the horizon under cloudcover, the shape-shifter paced back and forth amongst the trees behind his home. Another man arrived.

"Jacob, you'll wear a hole to China like that. Calm down." Joshua chuckled. Jacob wished Billy would talk. He would seek wisdom from his father if only Billy would be willing to share his thoughts with Jacob.

"I'm starting to think this was a bad idea." Jacob whirled on Joshua standing toe to toe jerking his finger at the older wolf who considered this one of the excesses of youthful exhuberance. "I think Sue's plan was the right plan. Wolves shouldn't be on the Council. That's what went wrong last time. I don't want to take Billy's place and I don't think that Quil should take his father's place. And when you move on, I don't think Sam should take your place. The wolves corrupt the Council. You helped corrupt the Council." Jacob launched his diatribe at Joshua.

The young wolf began to pace agilely again. Joshua envied the power in the young Alpha's body watching his body slink as he moved. Even with his own enhanced ears, Joshua couldn't hear him move. The pack was larger and stronger than his generation had been. Jacob was clearly stronger than his father physically, emotionally and even his Alpha powrs and he wasn't fully matured yet. His father was currently smarter and wiser. He smirked thinking of his foolish friend. If Quil Sr had only shown patience, he would still be with the pack. Leah wouldn't have been hurt and Quil's offspring wouldn't have been promptly aborted. _Idiot._ Leah was imprinted on. It would only be a matter of time before she mated. At Leah and Brady's request, Leah could stop phasing and provide the pack with as many puppies as they pleased. When it came to the pack, there was always a solution that didn't involve threats or violence. Joshua had convinced Jacob the error of murdering a pack member. A pack must trust that the pack was always a safe haven. They were brothers, they were family. You don't execute your family.

His young Alpha continued to air his thoughts. "I have a bad feeling about Quil Sr. I don't think Quil Jr will let it go. What do you think happens to the broken imprint if Senior dies? Is the imprint damaged or destroyed? I'm worried she'll die too. I don't want Quil to be orphaned twice over. What do you think? Should I tell Quil of my concern?" Jacob worried. He just wanted his pack happy and safe. He had to protect the imprints, past and present. It was ingrained. Besides the fact that Quil Sr was their brother. A significant part of him wanted Quil Sr dead. But there was so much wrong with it. The memory of his execution would be burned into the pack consciouness for generations. What if they made the wrong decision? You can't bring a brother back from the dead. He could bring a brother back from exile.

"Brother, I don't know. These are questions that only an Alpha decides. He's been my friend all my life. You already know my opinion. I can investigate into whether Quil has made a move against his father indirectly. Like father like son. I'm sure he can find ways around a command." Joshua expressed his thoughts. He watched the young Alpha return to pacing, needing Billy. Joshua felt like he was a part of the reason for how they got into all of this mess. He wasn't the best person to be seeking advice from. But the young Alpha was lacking mentorship. As pack it was clear that he needed to do something. He just worried he was too corrupted to be of much value to the young man. He tried to be an honest man, a good protector. But he often got lost in the gray of life. Joshua was a natural Beta. Not an Alpha. He felt the weight of Alpha being shared on him by the young Alpha and the strain was great. But he tried. Where was Billy? Gone fishing. Alpha's were meant to hand over title when their replacements were ready. Jacob wasn't matured. He wasn't ready. Joshua would speak to Billy again. Maybe Sue could get through to him.

Jacob stopped to look at Joshua again. "Leah is hurting Brady with the distance she puts between them. Leah wants to start phasing again, she's scared. We failed to protect her in human form. If she wishes to return to wolf, what does that say for our imprints? Our own She-Wolf is scared to be in their position." Jacob rubbed his face. "I don't want her memories shared with the pack. It scarred her, her memories will scar us. But returning into the pack may give her some comfort. But what if Brady is imprinted on human Leah and not Leah as a wolf? Maybe she shouldn't be phasing at all." Jacob's wolf was listening inside calmly. He didn't entirely understand the complexities of the situation but it considered the ideas as best it could. It was an Alpha. Joshua's wolf heard all of these considerations and he was reeling from the implications and felt sick. It was not an Alpha. Why were these questions being thrust upon them? It reminded the wolf of the hairbrained scheme that made him temporary Alpha. He had not approved. Joshua stood his ground by Jacob, as his young brother facing many questions. "Should I force Leah to accept the imprint?" He saw Joshua scrunch up his face at that idea. "I suppose not. I'll tell Brady to be patient." Jacob's face broke into a smile.

"Paul's imprint is doing very well catching up in school. I didn't think I'd be saying these words, but I think she might graduate before she turns twenty. I feel something coming off of her. I think she has brought something new to the pack. I just don't understand it. It feels like...white light." Jacob grinned. He was feeling a certain measure of success somewhere in his changing life. He didn't remember his father being powerful enough to sense the specific assets that his pack and their imprints brought with them. It seemed as they grew in number and strength, he grew more powerful himself. As they matured, his understanding of their strengths matured. And their weaknesses.

"Can you talk to Sam about blocking his private moments?" Jacob asked Joshua shyly. "I've relived sex with his imprint so many times I might start thinking I'm having an affair with Emily. His memories invaded my dreams last night. She's a beautiful girl but I think she deserves more privacy. I can't even look her in the eye anymore!"

Joshua shrugged. "Sure." While he specifically preferred not to see his son's memories with his imprint, he appreciated the reliving of other pack members females. Some of them were creative.

* * *

Embry lay in bed staring at the ceiling. I thought about his imprint. Unlike Paul's innocent imprint, his imprint flirted. A lot. Eighteen year old Embry felt out matched at every turn. But his imprint seemed to like control. So he readily handed it over. It was strange. She seemed to hold steadfastly to her 'Carl', but enjoyed male attention. She would flirt and flirt and flirt, but she was waiting for Carl. He had learned a few things about Carl. He had spent six years out of the last ten years in and out of prison. For almost four of those years, Gail's parents had used court orders to keep him away from her. By her calculations, she had spent just over a year with her boyfriend. A month here, three months there. He had never supported her as he seemed to get arrested for hair brained schemes with his friends as soon as he got out of prison. He may have been twenty years older than her, but he sounded like he still had the mentality of a fourteen year old.

Carl had been arrested for stealing tires from a dealership's parking lot when he jacked up a vehicle and left it on bricks. He was seen on security video and the police were already familiar with him. He had been arrested for armed robbery at a bank. The guns weren't loaded because Carl and his friends wouldn't actually shoot anyone. But one of the people in the bank had shot him. Of course, he was caught. One of his friends had joined the army and he had convinced his friend to steal a tank and pick up their girlfriend's. They didn't make it as far as Gail's place. And one of his favourites was being arrested for stealing taxi. The taxi driver refused to drive because he was off-duty. Carl stole the taxi, drove him and parked it on his front lawn and gone to bed. And these were just the ones she had told him about.

Embry was confused what Gail saw in Carl. She had grown an attachment to the man when she was a kid and had gotten so used to being loyal and defending him, that she didn't question why she was with him. He was at a loss for how to win Gail over without her feeling like she was being unloyal to Carl. Embry felt Carl had had plenty of chances to get things right with Gail, it was time for her to move on.

Then there was Lacey, Gail's daughter. He had followed the girl for a day and it had hurt. The young girl was bullied at school and listened to jokes about her parents being a pimp and his crackwhore. He had an inkling of the road Lacey would be heading down in her teen years and it worried him. It seemed urgent that Embry break Gail's habit of waiting for Carl. The only question was how?

* * *

AN: Geez not enough humour in this chapter. I'll try to make up for it sharing this oldie but goodie. (dot) tv/pages/bert045 (dot) htm

Kermit: Hello. Kermit the frog here. And welcome to Sensamea Street. I'd like to tell you what todays letter is, but I am really fucked (bleeped) up. He, Hey Big Bird, do you know what today's letter is?  
Big Bird: Sure Kermit, today's letter is...joint.  
Kermit: Ahh Big Bird, joint is not a letter. It is a word.  
Big Bird: Sorry kids. Today's letter is...threeee!  
Kermit: Uhhhh, Big Bird, three is a number *chuckle*  
Big Bird: Exactly, the number three, which is how many joints I've smoked today. Kermit...Are you with me?  
Kermit: God, I'm stoned!  
Big Bird: Me too. *laughs*  
Elmo: Guys, guys, show go on. Come on.  
Kermit: Thank you Elmo. Umm, how bout we say our ABC's Big Bird...  
Big Bird: OK...  
Kermit and Big Bird: A, B, C, D, E, F, R, G, Q, K, C, R, uhh F, C  
Big Bird; I forgot what we were doing Kramitt.  
Kermit: Did you just uhh call me Kramitt?  
Big Bird: Yes I did.  
Kermit: Heh, Kramitt the frog here. OK, OK, that's all the time we have for today. Goodbye's show was brought to you by the letter ummm,  
Big Bird: Bong...  
Kermit: And the number...  
Big Bird: God, you're messed up...  
Kermit: Fuck you! (bleeped) The number, Fuck you! (bleeped) *laughing*  
Kermit and Big Bird: Bye, bye, kids!


	17. Vacuous

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Vacuous  
**

**Chapter 17**

**AN: **So this chapter is angsty and depressing, sorry for that. But I thought it was important to see what Leah is going through while Brady is trying to break into her world. 

**

* * *

**His hips rocked back and forth against hers as his one hand fondled her breast and his thumb on his other hand circled her clitoris. She cried shaking as her traitorous body responded to his gentle but firm motions with wetness, lubricating his shaft as he slid sickeningly inside of her. He told her how much she was going to like this. She was revolted by his touch and by her own body not listening to her mind. She didn't want this. The details and textures and feelings grew until she woke up screaming in her bed. The shame burned through her like hot coal burning into cloth. How she had hated him and everything he did, while her body was manipulated under his hand. She curled up in the corner of her bed sobbing softly to herself.

Seth came to her bed, pulled her up in his arms. He sat her in his lap, still in her tight ball and rocked her gently murmuring that she was safe. But she didn't feel scared. She felt hurt. It hurt so much how Quil Sr had used her and she hadn't been able to do a damn thing about it. It hurt how _he_ knew how to manipulate her body. It hurt how her attempts to escape him had proven to be so patheticly inadequate. It hurt how _he_ had assured her that she would be pregnant soon and he would have her home to her family expeditiously. It hurt that she called herself a murderer but knew it would have hurt more to continue one more moment having any piece of him inside of her. Including his offspring. She hurt. She could still feel his sick presence in her vagina and she couldn't wash him out. And while during day to day life, she pulled herself together and she met the day head on, her dreams told her that she wasn't okay. As much as she willed herself to be okay, Leah was far from okay.

Her eyes were puffy and sore, her nose was snotty and she was clinging to her baby brother like an anchor in her vacuous nightmare. She couldn't imagine a worse nightmare than her body responding pleasantly to her rapist. If he had been violent and rough, it wouldn't have been so humiliating. She didn't even know her own body anymore. It felt like she had wet herself in public multiplied by one hundred in front of her worst enemy. Did it get anymore degrading than that? She hated her body. It had betrayed her in the most ultimate ways possible. It had mutated into a wolf, making her the target for a reproductive happy Council. It was probably the same reason why she had lost Sam to Emily. She was a freak amongst freaks. It had betrayed her in front of her worst enemy when he could smell her arousal as he manipulated it to suit his fucked up purposes. It had accepted his seed and willingly been ready to hand him a child. Her body had responded and wanted more like a filthy whore. She was lit up with shame. She remembered her horror each time he had forced want for more from her body. She hated her body almost as much as she hated Quil Sr.

No, Leah was not okay. She slapped Brady daily even though it hurt. She ate breakfast and lunch and dinner even though they tasted like cardboard. She responded when people spoke to her and she participated in day to day life. She had decided that she was not a victim. She wouldn't be the victim. She was a strong woman and she would pick up the pieces and she would move on. But she woke up in the night screaming, reaching for her crotch trying to pull him out of her. She knew that she wasn't fooling the pack as she pretended to be okay. But she was using all of her resources to put on this show and couldn't do any better than this. They just wanted her to feel what she felt and to be there for her. But she didn't want them to see this.

She didn't want them to see what Seth was seeing right now. A hurt and weak Leah. His hot body temperature wrapped around her body consoling her. But she couldn't wash away Quil Sr's presence in her body. His hands, his tongue, his penis all infiltrated her. She cried harder still. Would his presence ever go away? Would this horrible sensation that had settled over her ever go away? Would this ever be over? Would the burning from the shame ever dampen? Would she ever feel clean again? When she phased again, would the boys find out that her body had felt good as she was raped? How repulsed by her would they be? What would they think of her? How could her body have responded like that when she had been so scared and disgusted by Quil?

She pushed through this all every day as hard as she could. She wrapped her feelings into a tight ball of rubber and launched it as far as she could imagine. It bounced away to the ends of the earth and rolled slowly back down hill to her. She fell asleep crying and Seth put her back into bed. He returned to his room feeling her sorrow. He felt her helplessness. He didn't have anyone to lash out at and seek justice from. He had his sister fighting ferociously each day to be strong. He was proud of her strength, but didn't want her to try to be strong right now. He just wanted her to heal.

* * *

The day that Paul and Bella battled over hypothetical marijuana, Leah sat shivering in the cold on the sandy beach. Seth saw Brady approaching but hesitate. Brady knew that Leah wasn't ready for him just yet. He looked pleadingly at Seth who rolled his eyes. As if Seth would leave Leah shivering against the cold alone now that she was human and after all that had happened. Seth had insisted that Leah was trailed at all times. He was under the impression that rape victims might kill or hurt themselves. Leah seemed to be in her head at all times and wasn't sharing what she was thinking and it scared him.

Seth took a seat beside Leah and pulled her against him. She felt his scorching warmth but wanted to be numbed again by the cold. To ease the burn of shame. She shyed away from him. He tried not to feel too hurt.

"It's been weeks Lee. I've been patient. We've all been patient. I thought that you might talk to Mom. But you haven't. I can't pretend to say that I know how it feels. But I want to understand. I want to be here for you. You are a part of the pack. We share out pain. Let us do our job. Talk to me Lee." Seth spoke softly to her with assurance. He sounded wise beyond his years. "We've seen what Quil Sr. saw. The only secret is your thoughts and feelings." Seth pointed out. He heard her heart beat pick up and beat faster. The smell of shame reached his nose and he pulled her into a hug.

"You saw everything? Did you ... smell everything?" She asked him hesitantly.

He nodded at her sadly. It had hurt. They had watched Quil Sr's replay for Jacob. He had seen Leah's face red with exertion as she had bravely tried to struggle out of the shape-shifter's hold. He had seen her horrified face, smelled her shame and her body's arousal, he had heard her choked sobs. It had hurt. But it had helped him to know the truth.

"I'm sorry." She broke down crying. He wasn't sure he heard her right because the words didn't make sense and she had spoken through a sob.

"What?" He asked feeling confused. Leah wasn't known for apologizing and an apology right now didn't make any sense.

She settled herself and focused her strength on forcing her words out clearly. "I said... I'm sorry." She breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth even though it hurt through the lump in her throat. She was so embarrassed and scared of the coming rejection.

Seth sat in stunned silence for a time. Leah wondered if he was rejecting her. The lump grew bigger still. "For what?" He finally asked. Leah frowned. He saw. How could he ask what she was sorry for? Wasn't it obvious?

"Where do I start? For letting Quil Sr take me and for not fighting nearly as well as Hell Cat." Her voice was tight and small. "I'm sorry because I was aroused like a ten dollar hooker when he rubbed me. You must have been so embarrassed when you smelled his memory of that. I'm sorry I murdered your neice or nephew, I couldn't bring myself to face down nine months of something so tangibly his inside of me. I'm just so ashamed, I'm sure I've embarrassed you too. So I wanted you to know I'm sorry for the part I played in all of this." Leah ranted until silent tears were falling again and they dropped into companioned silence again. Seth thought carefully about what he was going to say. He was worried that he was going to get it wrong.

"You don't have anything to apologize for. You have nothing to be sorry about it." She threw herself into his arms feeling like a small child. "He was too strong for you to do anything about it. Our bodies are human, we respond to touch. We didn't think anything of you smelling aroused. You smelled of fear, hate, shame and it was heart breaking. None of us think less of you. And I don't blame you for the abortion. I understand. I think we all understand. I don't think even Quil Sr was surprised. He planned to keep you until you delivered a baby so you wouldn't be able to do that. I'm proud of you Leah. You have been so strong. But you don't have to be. We're all here for you and we love you. No one is embarrassed by you, least of all me. And I'm sorry that you don't see how incredible you really are. Give me time and I'll show you why you're the best sister in the world." Seth finished talking with a grin for Leah. It hurt to say what he said. But he knew she needed him to say it. She tried to smile back at him but her lips wavered, broke into a grimace and she was back to her ugly crying face from the night before. She hid her face in his shoulder and he smiled. It seemed like a healthier response than what he had been watching. He'd suffer girls crying if it helped make Leah feel better. He wanted his sister back. Not the half alive robot that had been living with him since she got back.

Since Sam had left her and imprinted on Emily, she had been bitter and difficult to be around. But this was worse. He'd be grateful for bitterness, as long as he recognized the girl as his sister.

* * *

The pack had been waiting for the fall out from Quil Sr's actions against Leah for weeks. On the beach, Seth had finally gotten her to open up. Jacob had been quick to phase and share minds with Seth to find out what he knew. News travelled quickly and soon, most of the pack was following the story in wolf form. They realized now how scared she was that they would reject her. It hurt that their pack mate had thought that they would reject her for something that they had failed her. They failed to keep her safe and she was the one apologizing.

They had observed many changes in Leah. Where she was once fearless, now she startled like Hell Cat. Where she was once affectionate as well as too rough with the pack, she now avoided physical contact. Her clothes covered every inch of her body. Her eyes once watched handsome young men lustily, now they were hollow and tired. She pulled closer to Seth for safety. They wanted their pack mate back again. And they had never thought they'd say that about the bitter bitch of the pack.

* * *

Brady sat in the woods in wolf form outside the Clearwater home. He heard Leah crying and screaming each night. His imprint was living hell and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. The pack hid Quil Sr's memories from him. He was kept in the dark about many things. He would do anything to make his imprint feel better. Brady could sense that he was growing up over night. He didn't think about the things he used to think about and it wasn't just because of the phasing. He sensed what his imprint was feeling and it hurt so much.

Her screams were louder tonight after talking to her brother on the beach. As though her mind were punishing her for trying to feel better. He wanted to comfort her so badly. No one would ever hurt his imprint again. It was too heart-rending to experience a second time. He didn't even love her yet. But she was beautiful and smart and strong. He knew he would love her as soon as he got a chance to know her. If she would ever let him. He didn't think that would happen anytime soon. He heard her move in her room. Her window slid open.

"I need you." She spoke out the window looking ahead unseeingly into the dark. And she went back to her bed. Brady was shocked. But he didn't waste time climbing into her window. "Seth's patroling. Can you rock me to sleep?" She asked. Brady enthusiastically nodded his head. He was so happy that she was comfortable asking him to help. She felt a small amount of trust that the imprint wouldn't let him hurt her. If she kept the instructions clear, she didn't think that she had anything to worry about. "Don't touch me anywhere sexual." She muttered pushing him down onto the edge of her bed. Brady held perfectly still as she curled into a small ball on his lap in his arms. He pulled her into a warm hug and began to rock her and murmured promises to never let anyone ever hurt her again.

Leah was enveloped in a cocoon of safety that made Seth's midnight hugs pale in comparison to the comfort that Brady brought her. She didn't shy away from his touch. She didn't worry about him taking advantage of her moment of weakness. She didn't worry about what he though. She was surprised but too tired to think too much on this. She enjoyed him thoroughly and let him lull her into blissful safe sleep. As she passed out, he wished he could stay and rock her all night. But he didn't think that she would be pleased. So he placed her in the bed. As he got up to leave her eyes sprang open and she latched onto his arm. "Don't leave me alone!" She panicked. Calming down as he stroked her hair away from her face, she tugged on his arm. He followed her into bed and spooned around her. She fell back to sleep almost instantly pressed into him.

Brady didn't sleep a wink that night. Brady had grown an inch taller than her and would grow much taller still. But his bone structure and muscles were already much bigger than Leah. She was so beautiful pressed up against him. He wanted to share his love with her. He felt his hard erection and carefully kept it from touching her back. He felt guilty that his hurt imprint was turning him on simply by sleeping in the same bed. He knew she wasn't ready for a sexual relationship. He didn't know if she would ever be ready for one. But he was content to wait forever for his imprint. How could he ever hope to win her broken heart. She had been through so much.

Seth came home, shared a look with Brady and Seth went to his room. Seth hoped that Leah wanted the young man in her bed or he would crush Brady in the morning.

Morning came and Leah said "Thank you." And looked pointedly at the door. Brady tentatively left the room quietly and then sensed that he should go home. He didn't feel hurt or rejected though. He was overjoyed that he had spent the night in his imprints bed. She had opened the doors to a relationship. There was a strong possibility that she would accept that imprint. He saw Seth downstairs in the kitchen and flashed him an enthusiastic smile.

"You leaving straight away?" Seth asked, feeling more than a little perturbed by the little runt sleeping in his sister's bed last night. He tried not to think about what Brady had been fantasizing about while his traumatized sister lay in the boy's arms.

"I think she was just ready for help sleeping. She let me know she was done with me. But she slept better for me than she had since she came home. I haven't heard her sleep so peacefully before. The imprint is working!" Seth was happy for the boy. But happier for his sister. It might not be nice using her imprinted wolf this way. But the kid was happy to be used. Who could blame her?

* * *

AN: Hope you liked it. Here's my update!


	18. Licking The Sky

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Licking the Sky  
**

**Chapter 18**

**AN: I know it's soon. But I knew what I wanted to do this chapter and found time to do it. Hope you like it.  
**

**

* * *

**From the window, a line of planes were held up waiting for the run way. The second runway was being opened up to cover the back log. Morning start-up had gone horribly wrong and as Gail was packing up to go, she decided to take a peek at the fall out. She smirked at the rival airlines wide body aircraft holding up the runway. The sun was up and Lacey was probably watching cartoons as it was Sunday morning. She had a bonfire to go to tonight, so she needed to get home and catch some shut eye before tonight. Gail sighed and slung her large purse over her shoulder and headed around to the offices to drop off paperwork before she left.

"They've offered eighty thousand for the mobile jack." Tom was telling another manager. "The guys are fetching it now." Gail snorted. They looked questioningly at her.

"The guys downstairs said that jack costs four hundred thousand and they're just too cheap to buy their own for a situation that rarely happens when they have to pay to store it." She lamented. Their competitors were taking them for a ride. The landing gear of the plane had faulted at take off in a large aircraft filled with passengers and cargo. A set of wheels wouldn't move and the regular jacks weren't skinny enough while strong enough for the wait to fit between the two wheels. There was only one airline with the custom made jack to cover the situation that had invested money into this situation. And that was them.

"What's your point?"

"Why are they setting the price? You wouldn't set the price of a cup of java like this. The part is four hundred thousand. They have held up that runway for three hours, which has cost us a few hundred thousand. They are going to require our manpower to tow their aircraft. That costs thousands. The years of storage, for a jack that has been used twice in a decade I've been told, have cut into our operating costs all so that we were prepared for our own emergency. And they're saving how much money from us bailing them out here? You have got to be kidding me? I'd discount them on the part, but calculate all of those operating costs and you should get closer to what this bill is going to be. They should be paying for their failure to plan for emergencies." The room was quiet. "I'm sure you can get your lawyers to back you on this. Stop the crew from doing a thing until they agree to pay for this properly. Eighty thousand my ass." She finished her rant and left feeling angry all over again. She hated feeling ripped off. Damn discount airlines always ripping them off for parts and equipment they were too cheap to buy and store themselves. They had their cheap contracts who only carried average hardware. But when a really difficult problem came, they bugged everyone else for help.

The two men looked at each other. Damn if she wasn't right? How much had their rivals cost them, the other airlines and the airport authority combined with this screw up? Tom picked up the phone and asked the mechanics to stop for a moment while Danny called Taylor back.

"Hey Taylor, how's it going?" He asked but didn't wait for a reply. "We need to negotiate the price for towing your plane.

* * *

Six months. Six months of actively trying and still she wasn't pregnant. Kim gripped the steering wheel heading to the next home for drop off. Kim fretted over ovulation kits and relaxtion, while Leah had just had an abortion. She tried to be understanding. But it made her so mad. Leah had destroyed something that Kim wanted so badly. She was questioning the imprint. Wasn't the imprint supposed to find the best genetic match for a wolf? This match wasn't working. She fought with feelings of failure to provide Jared with a child and of being betrayed by her body that wouldn't do it's job. They had everythings set up. Jared had a steady income, they were married, they had a small home and they had money saved up. They were ready. Where was the baby? She would have eagerly adopted Leah's baby. Jared had said as much.

Her doctor had assured her that six months wasn't so long. It was too early to worry about yet. But Kim was worried. They wanted four kids. She was struggling with having one and she was young. Did they have any hope of having four kids? Jared had been routing for seven kids. Now he remained empathetic and supportive. But he was quiet. She wished that she could try harder, but what could she try harder at?

She arrived at Mabel's house and pulled meals out of the back of the wagon. Walking up to the old yellow wooden house she knocked at the front door. She waited patiently. It could take awhile for an elderly woman to get up and use her zimoframe to get to the door. Mabel finally opened the door.

"Oh hi deary, so nice to you to pop in." The woman invited Kim inside with her wavering sweet voice. She was reluctant to go in but she knew that she might be the only person who Mabel saw all day. Kim checked to see the her bed was clean, the kitchen was clear and the bathroom was in working order.

"Mabel, you missed your pills. I can see the pill tray is still full for these days." Kim indicated the tray on the kitchen counter. "If you don't want your doctor sending you to a home, you have to do as he says. I want to be visiting you for many more years Mabel." Kim softened her voice as she added the last sentence. Mabel's kids visited her, but they lived in Seattle. Visits had dropped off to once or twice a month. They were nice people, but Mabel wasn't getting out and about these days. She needed human attention and affection. So did the rest of the seniors and sick people she visited volunteering for meals on wheels.

Kim was grateful for her volunteer work for taking her mind off her own worries. These people feared falling and being left for dead. They feared died alone. They struggled through day to day life. But most asked how Kim was and were earnestly interested in what she had to say. Sadly, they all either died or ended up in retirement homes. Retirement homes were good if that was what you wanted. But not for those who wanted to stay in their homes. Kim continued on her rounds keeping her thoughts from her own problems.

* * *

The bonfire licked up at the sky, raging at the cold spring night. It was a bit early in the year for a bonfire, but the pack couldn't resist. Everyone bundled up and the wolves kept close to their loved ones. Paul sulked because his imprint wasn't talking to him and couldn't make it. So Jake sent him to patrol with Joshua. Leah watched the flames while Seth and Brady kept close by. She had solemnly informed Brady that he was to keep her company tonight as well. Brady tried to hold back his excitement at the idea of holding his beautiful imprint in his arms all night again. He could hardly wait.

Gail watched Embry laughing and joking with her daughter. There were six years between her and Embry, while there were eight years between him and her daughter. How could he be a father figure to her daughter? He couldn't. The more time she spent with Embry, the more she examined her relationship with Carl. He had been her vision for as long as she could remember. Every sexual urge that she had fantasized, she had poured into her memories of Carl. At this point, was she in love with Carl or was she in love with the image she had built up in her head of him? When he was home they quickly settled into a traditional family. Except, Carl struggled to find work. Not many people would hire him with his record. And given that more often than not, he usually ended up back in prison shortly after getting out, she had to admit that they were right. He really wasn't a bad person. It was just that he had a wharped view of the world where money was concerned. It wasn't as though she relied on Carl for support. Or that the next time he got out that she believed that he would be around for a significant amount of time.

Since the early days when she was waiting for her fourteenth birthday, she had felt like he was taking care of her. But she was a woman now. She really did take care of herself and her daughter. She took stock of her life. She was told last night that her job was officially closing to anyone without their aircraft mechanic license. A job would probably be open in Texas. But that was so far from Carl and her parents. She saw there was a small airport in Forks, Port Angeles and a naval airport that had been handed over to the Quileutes some years back. *It's true, you can look it up.* Maybe she could find a job in one of these places? She had an eighteen year old werewolf who adored her here. Was there anything really tying her to Olympia anymore? Lacey hated her school even if Gail could never find out why. She hadn't been in a relationship with Carl in a long time. She had been pining over Carl for long ten years. He had been the one who failed to stay out of prison. His loyalty was truely in question. And when she realized this, her decision was made.

As usual she was impulsive and approached this decision ardently.

She grinned at Embry across the fire light. He caught her eye and smiled hesitantly back at her. Gail jumped up and ran over to Embry throwing herself into his arms in a bridal carry. He was surprised by her sudden change in behaviour. Usually she avoided touching him.

"I've decided to move back in with my parents in Forks! What do you think? Will you ask me out on a date when I move down here cowboy?" She waggled her eyebrows at him self-assuredly. Embry felt his heart catch in throat for a moment.

"Oh hell yeah!" And he crashed his lips to hers. The pack cheered enthusiastically.

Lacey tugged on Emily's sleeve. Emily looked down with a smile and leaned her head down to Lacey. The girl whispered into Emily's ear.

"I don't want to hear whatever it is they get up to tonight. Can I stay with you?" Emily blushed realizing that the young girl could already guess where Embry and Gail's kiss was going to lead to. Although, she wasn't sure how the kid could know. Lacey knew because when she saw kisses like that between her parents, she didn't get much sleep in the next room. Lacey wasn't upset about the move. She had grown to love the people around here. She was just disappointed that her mother was moving on from her father.

"I'll check with Gail, but I'd love to have a sleep over!" Emily enthused. "Kim!" A few feet away the woman looked up with a smile and approached. "Looks like we're having a sleepover tonight, do you want to join us?" Kim and Emily thought it might be nice to give the newly imprinted couple a night alone.

"I'd love to join you! Thanks for inviting me!" Kim replied eagerly.

Lacey grinned starting to really like this idea. She was going to hang out with the big girls now and have a sleepover. She didn't have girl friends at school to have sleepovers with. This was becoming a great plan.

* * *

It was a hard night. She still couldn't believe Charlie left her to stay the night. He was so angry with her. She'd left Paul and found her friends from school drinking in their garage. She'd joined in drinking with them and hopped in the bed of the little old forest green pick-up truck parked out front and gone for a ride to pick up weed. On the way, they stopped for fast food. When they piled back into the truck to go to the dealer, Kyle had parked too close to the lady beside him. The woman and her teenage son had started arguing with Kyle. Kyle panicked and floored the gas pedal scraping the side of her car. When she started hitting him over the shoulder with her purse through the open window, he reversed and squealed the tires missing a young family and smashing into the front windows and up to the counter of the restaurant.

Bella's first reaction had to been to run. She was faster than the boys and and she was skilled at escape. But after an hour guilt had hit her and she came back to the police cars who were holding Kyle. She had a small bump on her head and glass and sprinkled over her, but she wasn't harmed. Charlie was keeping her in a cell over night after lengthy questioning and written statements.

And so Bella waited. And she waited. She waited until she had had enough of waiting and then she waited some more. She started trying to hold her body horizontal to the bars using only her hands. She climbed the corner walls up to the ceiling and jumped down. She walked on her hands. And she waited. This really sucked. Tomorrow, she had been informed, she would go to the restaurant and apologize to the owners even though she wasn't the one driving the truck. Yeah, being the kid of the chief of police sucked. One of her hands slipped as she walked on them and she landed on her head. She decided it was time to lay down and go to sleep while... she waited.

* * *

A couple mauled each other dropping to the floor hanging halfway out of the doorway of Embry's cabin. He moved to get them the rest of the way through the doorway to give them some privacy. But his imprint made a sound of alarm as she kissed him and demanded his hands remain on her person at all times. The side entrance had a good view of the tree's. The tree's and animals watched the human coupling dispassionately. These woods had watched a great many number of mammals mate. Embry hung back feeling a little anxious as this was his first time. He was quite sure that he was supposed to be taking her to the bed. But she had climbed on him and she was driving him insane as her tongue ran up his neck and down his bare chest after she had insisted that he rip it off.

"Oh god!" Embry cried as Gail hastily pulled his pants down and brought her mouth over his hard member. He'd made out with a few girls, but none had done this to him. He whimpered and moaned as his imprint took control. She loved control over this giant of a man. His body writhed and he whined and whimpered like a virgin. He might be one and with that thought she gave him a naughty smile.

"You're a virgin!" She said looking as though she was going to eat him whole. Embry gulped. "Oh this is going to be fun! I'm gonna make you scream!" He shivered under the sound of his imprints sultry voice. He wasn't sure he was going to survive this. Before he could think much about this she had sucked most of his erection back into her mouth as far as she could and then held what was left in her hands. She sucked powerfully on him and bobbed her head up and down on him. One of her hands began to alternate between massaging his balls and his inner thighs. He came under her skilled hands much sooner than she was prepared to work for. She cleaned him up and grinned.

"You're my imprint, I'm supposed to pleasure you." Embry gasped as he felt his body slowly lower from the best orgasm of his young life. For all the times he had masterbated alone in his room, it couldn't compare to what his gorgeous imprint just did. She laughed.

"You are pleasing me. I've never had a virgin and I couldn't ask for more." Gail felt like she had hit the jackpot. She had a glorious looking virgin who she had by the heart. She had all night to play on his body and being a wolf, she doubted he would get tired before she did. She allowed him up finally and let him lead her to his bed, shutting the door on nature's mildly curious eyes.

Gail rode Embry for hours and relished in his screams and cries of pleasure. Sex with Carl had never been so fun. He had always been in dominant and expected her to be submissive. Gail took joy in yelling out Embry's name as she reached her pinnacle. Not once did she feel that anything was taken from her. Even if she had intended to take from Embry, she came away feeling as though they had shared the night. Even as she had dominated him.

In the morning Embry woke to a grinning Gail. "So are you all done with me or are you going to ask me out on that first date?" She asked.

* * *

AN: The chapter is brighter, I hope you enjoyed it. A bit of a lemon but I wanted to focus more on what they were feeling on the inside than on the act itself. I'm sure I'll have a juicier lemon at a later date.


	19. Swell

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Swell  
**

**Chapter 19**

**AN: I have a short lemon in here as requested, even if it wasn't the couple requested. I hope you like it. But first it's time for Bella to face the music.  
**

* * *

Paul ordered a beer and a sprite for Bella sitting in the Bar and Grill with Embry, Gail and Lacey. The restaurant wasn't inappropriate for children, but not entirely appropriate balancing on a thin line. His Jail Bird had been let out by Charlie and was out of her grounding on conditional probation from her bedroom. The condition was that she didn't leave Paul's sight for even a moment. They were having lunch in a family restaurant slash bar in the early afternoon. The group watched while Bella flipped a beer mat on the edge of the table and caught it mid air repeatedly without saying a word. She would balance it almost half on and half off the table, she brought the back of her hand up under the mat flipping it once in the air and in the same motion catch it. Lacey was intrigued. The group was quiet as Bella took a second beer mat and stacked it with the first before balancing it on the edge of the table and flipping them, catching them mid air after one revolution. Bella set up one mat on the edge of the table for Lacey.

"Bring your hand up and pluck it. Don't search for it. It will be there." Bella explained.

Lacey looked skeptically at Bella but gave it a try. She flipped the mat and moved her hand forward to catch it but it fell to the ground. Bella shook her head.

"No, no. You're searching for it. Don't move forward for it. When you bring your hand up, if you just knocked it just hard enough to flip it, it will be there when you close your hand. Here," she said setting the mat up on the edge of the table again. "Try again." Lacey heard what Bella was saying and tried again.

She focused on just the action and not on the beer mat. She brought her hand up and closed it. Sure enough, the mat flipped and she had plucked it from the air. She laughed outloud and grinned widely at Bella. Bella enjoyed enlightening someone else for once. She got a look on her face and then jumped up and ran to the bar. Paul heard Bella asking for a deck of cards from the bar tender. He gave her a funny look but shrugged and pulled out a deck of cards from the a draw. How Bella figured the bar would have a deck of cards, Paul would never know. Bella skipped happily back to the table with a cock grin on her face. She raised an eyebrow to Lacey and was now clearly showing off. She balanced the deck of cards carefully on the table and focused quietly for a long pause as the table watched. Paul heard her heart slow and her breathing calm as if in meditation. Then in a move too fast for Gail and Lacey's eyes, she flipped and snatched the deck of cards midair. Lacey gave Bella adulation which she received with a cheeky smile.

"Where'd you learn that?" Gail asked Bella. She shrugged it off.

"I picked up a few tricks for extra cash when Renee wasn't around. She didn't approve."

Paul had agreed to bringing Bella out to meet Gail at Embry's insistence. But he still wanted the full story on what happened last night. He had heard that Bella had spent the night in a jail cell. He was dying to know what happened.

"Did you learn how to play pool for extra cash?" He asked. The waitress brought their drinks and prepared to take their orders for lunch. Gail and Embry began to order while Bella answered Paul.

"No, it's more expensive to learn and if you lose while you're learning, it lands you in a heap of trouble. But I can play." Paul and Bella placed their orders and excused themselves from the table leaving for the pool tables in the next room around the other side of the bar. A low wall and stained glass divided the rooms. Lacey continued to practice flipping a beer mat and then adding beer mats to flip.

Paul put change into the pool table slots and Bella moved to the end of the table and began to pack the balls tightly into the triangular rack. She carefully lifted the rack from the table and put it back in the place holder. They both pulled out pool cues and eyed their lengths to assure their straightness and the tips for damage. They each chalked their tips and puffed off excess chalk as though in mirror image eyeing each other. Bella waited for the questions that she knew were coming. She wasn't sure if he was the one in trouble or she was. He shouldn't have told her what she could do to her body as far as she was concerned. But then, she had put herself in harms way. As she understood the imprint, that in turn had put him in harms way. It was one thing to drink or smoke weed. But joy riding was probably crossing the line. She knew this.

"Did you want to break?" Paul offered. Bella shrugged. It was easier for her to break them than it was for her to get the darn balls in the pockets. But it didn't really make a difference in the grand scheme of things. Paul was curious to see if she could scatter the balls across the table effectively. "Go on then." He tilted his head to the end of the table. Bella walked around and settled down to strike the cue ball at a hard angle.

"Calling shots right?" Bella confirmed. Paul nodded his approval. Paul observed her curves body settle down over the table looking expertly down the table as she chewed on her lower lip. He felt his jeans tighten and a small groan escaped his throat too softly for Bella to hear over the din of the restaurant. Her arm snapped forward and she scatter the balls across the table angling a slightly higher number of balls down one half of the table than the other. But it was a decent break by Paul's estimations. The purple four ball dropped into the side pocket and

"So, how was the slammer Jail Bird?" He asked with a mask of calm. Bella didn't answer as she observed the table for the best advantage.

"Solids." She called before lowering herself down over the table pointing at the red three ball towards the other side pocket. Paul looked away from her well rounded cheeks bent at a ninety degree angle not far from his own crotch. Maybe pool was a bad idea as he struggled to maintain the anger he held inside. Lust was proving more powerful than his anger. Bella gently tapped the cue ball, ricocheting off the the red three ball. It held just at the entrance blocking any other balls but not falling down. She cursed inwardly and thought back to Paul's question.

"Boring." She moved to chalk her pool cue while she waited for Paul to take his shot. He took four balls down in quick succession much to her dismay.

"Fucking wolves." She muttered to herself under her breath. Paul smirked and then caught her pool cue in his hand.

"What happened?" He held her eyes in his until she dropped her eyes to the ground.

"We had a few drinks and backed a truck into a burger joint right up to the counter." She confessed. He looked at her pressing for more information. She cracked under the pressure. "I bumped my head when we hit and then I hit it again last night." Paul pulled her closer to examine her head and then rubbed his eyes in frustration.

"So that's what the mild heart attack I had last night?" Paul said recalling the moment when he felt her panic miles away. She nodded. He took a crack at another shot and scratched. Bella waited for the cue ball to come out of the end of the table. She then noticed that he was shaking. She dropped the pool cue against the table and approached him warily.

"Are you okay?"

"NO!" He roared. Bella jumped. Paul felt her fear and quickly softened. "No. No I'm not okay. My imprint is trying to get us killed. If you die, I die. If you hurt, I hurt. You may not be aware of it, but I'm feeling what you're feeling. Not as strongly as you feel it, but I feel it." She gulped. "Every day, you seek out adrenalin rushes and I live them with you. The amount of times that you seem to be in trouble on a daily basis, I can't know whether to come running to you. I'm trying here. I'm really trying, but could you cool it a little? What are you looking for?" He asked gently.

"It feels good. It's better than any drugs." Bella ran her fingers along the edge of the table while chewing her lower lip. She looked up to see Paul looking at her greedily. She felt strangely trapped in an alluring way that was entirely unfamiliar to her. He came around behind her and pulled her hips to him. She felt his breath on her neck followed by his nose skimming her skin as he breathed in her scent. Heat flared up in her core.

"I've got a better ride for you." He growled quietly in her ear. She swallowed and tried to control the tingling sensation running down her neck and straight to her crotch. He stepped away from her leaving her to think about his innuendo.

Paul and Bella finished the game in silence. Bella sunk a few solids, but Paul was the clear winner. He figured she was good enough to beat a few of the young members of the pack. Bella waited playing with balls left on the table while Paul made a trip to the washroom before lunch was served.

Two men moved off from the bar approaching her. They looked to be in their mid-thirties and thoroughly amused by her display with Paul.

"Honey, you have the table. I'll play you next." Spoke up the man who hadn't shaved recently wearing dark wash jeans and a plaid shirt rolled up at the elbows. Bella felt uneasy in his presence and backed away towards a high table near holding her sprite and Paul's beer.

"We're done here. You can have the table." She shifted her eyes between the two men judging their size, strengths and weaknesses. She had the keen sense that she was prey once again.

"Don't be like that sweetie. We saw you friend there. We're not gonna screw with you. We just want a game." He backed her up grinning at the feeling of power he had over her. She was clearly uncomfortable. Of course, Bella never took well to intimidation. She looked him in the eye with determination.

"Back off." She said in a dark low tone. He chuckled at her grinning at his friend. Before he could look back at her she smashed her glass of sprite over his head and had Paul's beer bottle emptying onto the floor, held as a weapon ready as she dodged around the man. She had moved nearer to the opening to where Embry had leaped into the pool area taking in the scene. The man held his bleeding head cursing her while Embry stood in between Bella and the man.

"What did he do?" Embry asked.

"Nothing!" The man's friend yelled angrily.

Embry looked to Bella for confirmation. "He backed me into a corner and wouldn't leave me alone after I asked him nicely." She shrugged. She didn't like men intimidating her.

Paul hurried into the room taking in Gail and Lacey in the doorway while Bella peeked around Embry standing in front of two men. One holding his bleeding head. Paul felt rage. He'd been stuck downstairs in front of witnesses having to move at human speed to get up to the scene. "I suggest you don't intimidate pretty young girls in future." Paul glared at the two men and led Bella out of the room.

Bella had never been in a position where she had the upper hand in a fight before and couldn't help but relish the shift in the balance in power. As she left the room, she blew a kiss at the assholes who had caused her fear and trepidation. With Paul at her side, she had confidence that nothing was going to happen. She couldn't help but feel just a smidge smug about that.

"Bella, can you try making it twenty-four hours without an incident?" Paul growled at her. She fought to cover the smirk from her face and looked down at the food waiting in her spot. They finished eating under the glare of the waitress and bar tender. Lunch was eaten quickly and the the guys left a large tip. After Paul's fear settled down, he felt pride in his imprint refusing to allow full grown men push her around. His imprint could carry her own weight in the human world. Truthfully, he preferred his imprint mess up their faces than allow them to back her into a corner without consequence.

* * *

His hips rocked back and forth against hers as his one hand fondled her breast and his thumb on his other hand circled her clitoris. But a different presence carried from behind her and not hovering over her like Quil Sr had. A different meaning was attached to the experience. Different emotions coursed through her. She felt joy and pride. She shot up in bed looking around her as she woke from her dream. Brady woke looking around, stunned before taking in Leah's startled presence sitting up in her bed. He realized he may have fallen asleep last night and may have been rocking against her backside. He felt a blush creep across his face.

"Sorry if I did something. I fell asleep." He admitted.

Leah looked down at Brady in the dark. It was hard to see him, but as his imprint she could sense him clearly. He had something she needed. But he was only a child. If she touched him, wasn't it statutory rape?

Leah lay back down and pulled Brady in more tightly feeling his stiff member swell against her butt as they spooned. Strangely, the feel of his arousal was comforting. But more than that, his arms and his body pressed against her gave her a sense of safety. Even if she couldn't defend herself, Brady was pressed against her and he wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Brady blushed feeling his erection pressed against his traumatized imprints behind. If he could, he would have offered stuttered apologies to her. But he was too shocked as she pressed her hips down onto his erection. He decided to enjoy it for what it was worth as he sensed his imprint was embarrassed or disturbed by his erection. He felt so lucky.

* * *

At two in the morning Jared's patrol finished. They were short Leah and Brady, as Brady had been given permission to stay with Leah and keep her happy. Jared entered the house and sensed a change in the atmosphere of the house. He took a quick shower and came to bed. Kim was sitting up in bed with a book she wasn't paying attention to. Her eyes met Jared's when he entered the room and he saw the excited sparkle in her eye. His heart skipped a beat.

"Really?" He asked timidly. Kim's lips spread into a beautiful smile and she nodded at him.

"The stick said so." She said.

Jared rushed into bed pulling her to him excitedly. "That's just wonderful Kim!" He breathed into her ear. They pulled back and looked at each other with hooded eyes. He brought Kim into his arms and gently below him. Then slowly he lapped up her skin with his tongue, tasting her body all over and firmly running his hands over her skin. As her moans grew, he smelled her arousal and took that as her readiness. Kim was shy and sweet. With practice he had learned what pleased her. He held her firmly to him and gently entered her. He waited as her body adjusted to him before moving. She mewled as he first swayed his hips moving within her gently. She traced her finger tips down his back and brushed her lips in the crook of his neck. He continued gently swaying waiting for her hips. When her hips bucked against him, he drew back and thrust inside her sweet and wet tightness.

She let out a soft high pitched cry with his first thrust and it sounded like music in his ears. Jared's eyes rolled back in his head feeling her and hearing her. Making love to Kim was like playing an instrument and it only got better every time. He laid kisses down her throat and alone her jaw as he began to thrust faster but gently. She preferred kisses over her throat and jaw over him touching anything else and so he kept kissing her. He could feel her holding him tighter as her orgasm built and he felt spurred on himself. He enjoyed sweet love making because she enjoyed it again and again. Her cries were mixed into her panting for breath until her heard her breath catch and her body tremble underneath him. Her sudden silence pushed him over the edge and he felt release come to him. She quietly moaned as he rocked his hips against her bringing them back down from their high.

Kim blushed up at him and Jared felt his heart swell. This gorgeous creature was his. Every soft cry and every blush was his. He held her in his arms and stroked her bare neck and back as her breathing evened and softened. Soon he held his beautiful pregnant imprint, skin to skin against his body.

**

* * *

**

**AN: Next up, the pack faces pressure from their rivals.**


	20. Young Battle Axe

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Young Battle Axe  
**

**Chapter 20**

**AN: Time do deal with the consequences of shedding too many secrets to the Makah.  
**

**

* * *

**It was a crisp spring morning and the sky was threatening rain as the two men walked along the main road of the reservation. Asook had said that he wanted to play with the odd little imprint. Quil hated the odd little imprint. Truthfully Asook was looking for any excuse to poke the bear that was the Quileute tribe with a stick. He knew as well as they did that they were between two enemies. The Makah and the Cullen coven. They could do some serious damage to the Makah, but in the process they would leave themselves open to the coven breathing down their necks. He just needed an excuse.

When Quil had first approached him, his first response had been to tell the creepy man to go to hell. Then Quil had explained that he had been banished for kidnapping and raping the She-Wolf. Asook couldn't blame him. It was bizarre that she had come of age and had yet to breed. The strange tribe didn't use their assets to their full advantage. And then there was the issue of the odd little imprint. She hadn't even been imprinted on when Asook had found her in the clearing, but he sensed that she was different. Of course, she might breed good wolves like any other imprint. But she didn't seem so much a breeder as a fighter. He would expect the She-Wolf to seem more the fighter. But his instincts told him that the She-Wolf was a breeder and the imprint was the fighter however backward that might seem. As she grew a stronger connection to her wolf, he was sure that she was drawing power from the pack. But imprints were fighters. Were they? Wolves fought, imprints bred. That was how it had always worked. Unless something had changed? His wolf had strong instincts. Asook trusted those instincts and they hadn't failed him before. His instincts said that the fun little imprint should be tested to see her potential before she caught them by surprise. He sensed that Quil and Bella were enemies. As the old saying goes, keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.

Asook had accepted Quil into his pack and released his wolf from any and all injunctions placed on him. Quil seemed appreciative to run as a wolf again. He was a powerful wolf and had much to add to the packs strength. The only issue was that he wouldn't outright turn on his son even if he would do things to weaken the La Push pack. Such as interfering with an imprint to satiate his need for revenge. Asook could clearly see that Quil was not to be trusted.

"I've finished the playground." Quil informed Asook. They grinned. "Come I'll show you. For the game, there won't be any weapons beyond the structures themselves. I gave much thought to it. I saw how she attacked me. She is very effective using her body as a weapon. I don't think she'll need weapons to defend herself against humans. Now, be sure to interrupt if you think they're going to fuck her. Paul will take it personally and there won't be any talking him down from that. We just want to see what she's able to do with the power she's been drawing. We don't want to screw her up. But the two men, if she takes them down, let her have a field day. We will be disposing of them afterwards."

"I don't like this. This is a pointless exercise. We protect humans and you're talking about disposing of two of them. We protect imprints, we don't expose them to danger for our own entertainment. This is all backwards." A young wolf the pack spoke up walking behind them. Quil spun and growled at him. He whimpered and left.

They reached the 'playground' that looked like a wooden fort from the outside. It was elaborate for a one time use. Asook suspected that Quil planned to keep the girl caged in here for some time to torture her with fear. He didn't think further of it. There were five wooden, roofed platforms around the fort with leveled platforms and ropes randomly connecting structures from up high. There was a caged viewing section so that they could watched what happened in the playground. Quil pointed out small details such as the lack of ladders to Asook. He appreciated the work and planning that went into the playground.

"And they will sleep here?" Asook asked.

"They can try." Quil chuckled devilishly. Asook laughed and clapped a hand over Quil's back. This ought to be interesting. The only thing missing were the guests.

* * *

Studying was never a strong point for Seth. Leah watched with vague interest from the couch as Seth sat at the table pouring over his books. He found parts of the review that he didn't recall learning. He was probably away from school killing vampires those days. He sighed as he realized he didn't understand and would actually have to learn it before he could review it for the exam. He slammed the book closed.

"I'm getting Mom to write me a note." He declared. Leah raised an eyebrow.

"Mom won't write you a note. You need a pretty good reason to not show up for exams. War, serious personal injury, on deaths door or someone important died. What's your excuse?" Leah asked.

"Extreme sexual exhaustion." Seth said cockily thinking about the girl he bagged last night. Leah rolled her eyes.

"Your teacher will tell you that you have to write the exam with your other hand." Seth growled at her and opened the text book back up and went back to studying. Leah heaved herself off the couch and sat at the table to help him. Soon she was teaching him what he had missed so that he could complete the exam in the morning.

* * *

On a drizzly morning Bella escaped the school between classes the same time every day. She stood outside and took deep breaths before study hall. Sitting for long hours studying was still a relatively new task for her and she needed small breaks from it. The smoker's returned into the building but Bella stood outside alone for a little bit longer. With a final sigh, she kicked the wall and headed into the building looking at the ground when she saw bare feet. Her eyes darted up when a hand came over her mouth. Asook stood in front of her and she smelled Quil holding her from behind. Two more men stood to the side. They had moved so fast it was as if they had all appeared out of thin air. She screamed into Quil's hand and kicked and thrashed against them.

"My word, you're right. This imprint does have some fire in her." Asook smiled serenely at her. Bella was terrified and fighting not to become a blubbering foolish mess of tears. She focused on her anger and determined to fight whatever they had in store. She knew exactly what Quil had done to Leah. Renee fought too hard and for too many years for Bella to ever allow that to happen. She would just have to be stronger and smarter than Leah who had grown accustomed to being a werewolf. She wasn't lulled into a false sense of security that the wolves would save her. She had been saving herself for a long time and she would continue to be her own rescuer. She bit Quil's hand hard enough to draw blood, she heard him growl behind her ear. She had thought he wouldn't phase anymore and was now human like Leah, but she felt his skin heal in her mouth. She was disappointed.

With that she was being run into the woods in Quil's arms. Asook stripped in front of her and she looked away; he chuckled at her as he tied his clothing to his ankle before phasing. Quil climbed astride Asook and Bella saw more wolves waiting around them. She was held in front of Quil astride Asook and the wolf leaped forward. Bella felt mildly ill at the speed but she was more focused on her fear and the sick sensation of a known rapist wrapped around her. She refused to give him the satisfaction of displaying her fear even though she knew from Paul that he would smell her fear anyway.

They arrive at a fort in the woods where Bella is shoved into the center. Two well built white men in their late twenties wearing dark jeans and wife beater shirts look roughed up and angry standing to one side. They barely notice Bella.

"Are you the leader? What the fuck are we doing here? Let us out before we let the cops know about this!" One threatened. Asook threw a deadly look and they were quiet.

"You two have outstanding warrants. You're not going to the cops. We want to play a game. We have a particularly slippery prey for you. We want to see how she stands up against humans. We have one job for you." Asook spoke quietly with a small smile creeping into his voice. Bella began to back away from the men sensing what was coming next. She eyed them for strengths and vulnerabilities. She knew now that they were human. That improved her odds greatly. "We want you to try and mess her up. I don't really care what you intend to do to her, just take her down." Asook waved them off.

One man stepped forward and folded his arms across his chest. "And if we refuse." He smirked.

Asook snapped his fingers at one of the men standing by him. The young man phased into a giant wolf and the human stood in awe. "Then one of the wolves will rape you and then eat you one piece at a time. Now _move_!" Asook finished with a bark. The pack moved out locking the main gate and Bella had already climbed one of the structures in two moves. The two men eyed her. As far as they knew, she was the one person standing between them and freedom. She looked to be about fifteen or sixteen years old with long brown hair tied back, wearing simple jeans and a hooded sweater. She seemed small and unimposing, but they didn't miss how easily she seemed to climb the structure or that the man had said that she was slippery. It couldn't be too easy or there wouldn't be two of them. Then they grinned at each other. She was a teen-aged girl... how much trouble could she be?

They wordlessly split up and approached from two different directions. Bella looked around the dimensions of the platform making plans of her own. She had no intentions of finding out how the two men were intending on "messing her up." She pulled off her shoes knowing the first part of her plan. She hadn't succeeded doing this trick many times, but it was possible. It was just easier to do in bare feet. Most of her tricks were easier barefooted. She eyed the thick ropes stretched ropes and waited patiently. The pack sat in the trees and howled eagerly watching. Asook didn't approve. The two men now grinned feeling the approval of their wider audience.

"Come on princess, we won't hurt you. We're just going to hold you down, steal a kiss maybe and make these boys happy. How does that sound sweetheart? Don't you just want to go home?" One man coaxed her. Bella didn't respond as the pulled up to the third level platform she was waiting on. She grabbed the beam above her and swung her body kicking her legs at their heads as they reached the top. The scambled to hold on and not fall off the platform. Bella half walked and ran along the rope to the next structure. They stood on the platform she had escaped from and watched her escape in surprise.

"She runs ropes?" One attacker asked looking at Ashook and Quil through the cage.

"I said that she's slippery." Asook said nonchalantly. The audience thinned by a signal that the three captured humans didn't see. The men gave chase sending Bella balancing expertly along the ropes, onto the levels and wearing them down. It soon became clear that while she might not be as strong as them, but she was faster and had more stamina. Ashook grew tired and threatened them.

"If you don't capture her by morning... I'll set one of the wolves on you." Of course, Ashook was going to kill them anyway, but they didn't need to know that. It was just frustrating that they had lost some of the inspiration and were slowing down now. As far as the girl was concerned this was a death match and she was throwing her weight into it. The two men seemed to have lost vigor. They shuddered at the memory of what Ashook had threatened and narrowed their eyes at the teenage girl.

"Come on girly... we don't want to hurt you. Just give us a smooch!" One of them chuckled nervously. Bella took in their stances and dropped into a lower crouch standing at a level above them. She moved too soon and took off down a rope and one of the men jumped at the rope shaking her off. She managed to catch the rope in her fall, then swung once and fell when he shook it again like two kids hanging from a jungle gym. He dropped down and had her pinned on her back with her hands above her head. He pushed a knee between her legs and held her pinned to the muddy ground looking to Ashook for guidance.

"I have her, what do you want me to do with her?"

Bella held still to find out what Asook wanted. She knew exactly what she was going to do next. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she felt the heat of rage burning in her mind. The second man was standing to the side.

"Break her." Asook grinned. He doubted that they had her as securely as they thought. The men began to discuss what to do next when Bella headbutted the man holding her in the nose hoping to hit him hard enough to shove splinters of bone into his brain. She was rewarded by a satisfying displacement of his nose and his screams of pain as he released her hands. She rocked her body forward for momentum, placed her hands either side of her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. Then she roared with effort to roll them both backwards over her shoulders with all her might. Rolling back she was straddling him and she pounded on his throat as hard as she could. The second man punched her in the head knocking her to the side. She saw black dots for a moment but fought the need to lose conciousness. Blacking out wouldn't help right now. She scrambled to her feet while the black dots continued to stray her vision but focused on the sound of his breathing and what she could make out of the second man. She hissed thinking of the pain that would come once the adrenalin eased away.

"Fuck man! That little bitch broke my nose!" The injured man whined angrily from the ground. Bella ignored him as she sensed he was temporarily not her main cause for concern. Her vision cleared just as he threw a second punch at her. She dodged the punch and kicked him in the groin. He caught her leg as she pulled back and half threw her as he gave a strangled cry. She felt she hadn't kicked hard enough if he was in the place of mind to still grab her leg and throw her. Adrenalin took care of any pain for her and she was back her feet and in two moves she had swung onto a structure balancing on a third level platform. Rain began to fall in earnest as she regarded her handiwork. The first man's nose gave the impression that it had exploded and he made chocking sounds after her assault on his jugular. The second man was bent over trying to walk.

Asook laughed. "She broke you. I told you to break her. Enough pain or should I set a wolf on you now and be done with it?"

They whipped their heads up feeling panic. "That little bitch is fucking lethal. Give us weapons." The second attacker insisted. Quil sneered.

"I've had a bitch and she was good. That girl isn't a bitch at all you idiots. But she is lethal. That's Hell Cat! You pussies want weapons?" They nodded hesitantly while Bella's eyes widened. Quil shoved two thick sticks through the cage viewing section. "But be aware that she'll probably take them off you and use them against you." Bella's eyes zeroed in on the sticks and she slowed her breathing to focus on the next round. The place was now slippery from rain. She wouldn't be running along any ropes. The men had sticks to beat her with. But they were slow and uncreative. She could still handle this she calculated.

"Last time she had a weapon she stabbed me in the eye. She's a vicious one." Quil told Asook with a grin. Ashook raised an eyebrow but then his face changed when he heard something else.

"Quileute are here for their imprint back." A young man told him.

"Ahhh, send the Alpha. I have things to discuss with him regarding the She-Wolf. The only person in threat right now is the imprint they have my word." Asook ordered and the man bent his head and ran back to the line. Returning their attention to the fight Bella had taken their sticks from them and had beaten them across their heads. They got their sticks back and threw them out of the fort to keep them away from the girl. Weapons weren't helping them at all they had decided. The small audience were watching with quiet amusement when the young Alpha arrived and growled seeing one of his imprints captured and fighting two humans. Then at Quil Sr.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing with our imprint? How would you react to us taking one of your imprints?"

Asook waved him off. "Never mind that. I needed to talk to you. Your tribe has failed to deliver the She-Wolf yet again. She still hasn't born any offspring. And this imprint, she's withdrawing power from your pack. You're replenishing the power but, what exactly is an imprint drawing power for? So far, nothing unnatural from her in this experiment. So many potential assets in your pack not being used. I'm sure she can breed, but that's clearly not her purpose. She's a fighter. And you disposed of a high ranking wolf. So foolish! Kill him or keep him close. I've taken him into my pack. I think it's time we enter into negotiations. On good faith, I'll return your Hell Cat here. On the condition that you find out what the purpose of her power is. In my experience unanswered questions come back to bite you in the ass. Your father wouldn't have allowed this question to remain and he would have killed Quil or kept him close. Quil could have come to a pack that was a much larger threat to you from the south."

Jake was shaking with anger and insecurity feeling hostile as he watched his rival and listened to a member of his pack fighting an unfair battle at his rivals leisure. "I'll talk after she is back on my land." Jake spoke through gritted teeth. Ashook sighed.

"So be it." He snapped his fingers and the gate opened. Bella caught sight of Jacob and ran to him. Two men entered the playground, stripped and then phased into wolves. Her attackers begged and pleaded and ran before the gate closed. Bella shuddered hearing the screams and sounds of the bloody death inside of the fort. Jake shot the two men a look before he phased and Bella jumped onto his back. He ran back to the line and shared all he had seen with his pack.

**

* * *

**

**AN: So, is Bella cool as a cucumber or is will the adrenalin wear off when she gets back to Paul? Do the pack have any secrets left from their rivals?  
**


	21. Marshmallows

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Marshmallows  
**

**Chapter 21**

**AN: Mmmmmhh marshmallows... Sorry, got distracted there. On with the story.  
**

**

* * *

**The pack gathered in Jake's backyard arriving from the Makah reservation. Paul didn't even wait to phase in the forest or wait to put on shorts. He phased to human in at Jacob's side and pulled Bella into his arms like a desperate man. For the a few seconds Bella hung stiffly in his arms before her mind took in a revelation that she was safe again. In fact, after hours of high alert wondering if she was about to die or be tortured, she felt so much relief that she felt safer than she could ever remember feeling. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and did something he had never seen before. She cried in his shoulder. He instinctively knew that she wouldn't want anyone else to see this and caught Jacob's eye. He lowered his eyebrows into a tight line and moved towards Jacob's house and took her into Jacob's room away from view.

Paul hadn't known before that his imprint didn't relax into his embrace until he felt her limbs liquefy. Unlike the tight ball that Leah was these days, Bella flopped against Paul handing over so much trust that his heart would have jumped for joy if he didn't see in Jake's mind what she had just been through. He kissed her fore head and laid her down on the bed to check her over and look for any injuries. She had some splinters in her hands, a nasty bruise on the side of the head where she had been punched and minor bruising on her shins. He felt her relief and kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, her lips, her cheeks, her chin and then grabbed her hands began to kiss her wounds. Bella laid back and enjoyed the sense of security she was feeling after so many hours of playing cat and mouse.

Once Paul had reassured himself of her safety he pulled on his shorts from his leg. Then he set to collecting the first aid kit in the kitchen and an ice pack. She held surprisingly still as he used tweezers to pull out her splinters. He cleaned the wounds and left to get food and water for her. But when he returned, his imprint had fallen asleep on Jacob's bed. He watched her chest rise and fall standing in the door way as he held a tray in his hands. Jacob appeared behind him looking over the sleeping form.

"We didn't need Asook to tell us that she's a fighter." Jake commented. They stood quietly lost in their thoughts. Neither one quite sure what to make of Asook's claim that she was drawing power from the pack. What did that mean exactly?

"Do you sense any of what Asook said about her?" Paul asked hesitantly out of character.

"A light. I sense imprint bonds. Usually like matching hazes that are stronger in the wolves than the imprints. She had a tiny light from when you imprinted. I don't "see" it, I just sense it. I have since I became Alpha. Whenever you make progress with her, the light brightens. She's been different from day one. She isn't Quileute, she isn't the soft motherly imprints that we're used to and you're probably the only aggressive enough wolf that could hold his own against her even through an imprint. Most imprinted wolves will power dissolve under their imprints desires. So when I sensed a difference in her connection, I never gave it much thought. I'm beginning to think that I'll have to reconsider that conclusion." Again, they were silent as they reconciled their thoughts and observations.

Paul was proud of his imprint. She came back to him in one piece when most women would have come back wholly damaged under the circumstances. He could smell that they hadn't defiled her beyond their own blood spatter and sweat. It hurt that she had sustained some injuries but in context he was grateful for how well she was doing.

"I plan to kill Quil." He grunted still holding Bella's tray of food. Jacob nodded expectantly.

"His imprint hasn't collapsed under the strain of his banishment. I suspect that he has indeed annulled his imprint and I don't think anything will happen when we annihilate him. I need to evaluate how to capture him, how to waste him and who should kill him. The Council don't have a memory of a pack member who has suffered worse than banishment. It would appear that I will be treading new ground." Paul saw Jacob's face had aged in the short time that he had become Alpha. The stress and knowledge that had come to him was clearly showing on him. But he remained resolute and strong. He was designed to take this stress even as he became more au courant in his position. It seemed as though each wolf had a defined role and rank within the pack. As the younger generation displaced the last generation, these defined roles became more distinct. It was becoming clear that while Jacob was leader and Leah was their hope, Paul was their heart. He passionately loved, hated and threw himself whole heartedly into any task he was assigned. Which is partly why it was becoming all the more disturbing why his little imprint passed out on the Alpha's bed would be drawing power. They thought she had a defined role as imprint. As a respected and cherished member of the pack. Some day she would likely breed her contribution to the pack. But somehow, there seemed to be more to her role and while it was distinct, it wasn't defined. It felt like they were trying to make sense of Morse code without knowledge or a translation available to them as they tried to guess what her purpose was.

"Figure it out. My imprint will not be put at risk again. I will home school her and deal with Charlie myself until Quil is dead. She won't be leaving my sight any time soon. Would you have Billy call Charlie and tell him that Bella's staying at Sam and Emily's tonight? I'm taking her home with me. I'm not suffering tonight with her out of my arms." Jacob nodded sympathetically and took the tray Paul was holding. Paul gathered Bella in his arms and jogged home with her. She must have been exhausted as she didn't notice him change her into one of his t-shirts and laid her under the covers. He then laid down beside her and curled around her experiencing relief and unconditional love.

**

* * *

**If it hadn't been for Brady, she would have been shaken to the core to learn that Quil Sr had joined the ranks of their rivals. But she did have Brady and that made all the difference. Leah waited sitting up in her bed reading a romance novel for Brady to make his appearance. His parents were losing their composure over Brady not sleeping at home anymore because every night he arrived at ten or straight after patrol at Leah's bed. She heard him enter the front door and acknowledge Seth before his subtle steps up the stairs. Human ears never would have heard any of this. As per their habits he didn't knock before opening the door or disturb her. She didn't look up. She simply set the book on her bedside table and positioned her back to him.

"Shorts off." She ordered over her shoulder. He paused.

Did she just tell him to get naked? "I'm going commando." He said insecurely.

Leah felt pity for him. He might look her age, but he was inexperienced. "It's okay. I'm not asking for sex. I just want to feel... I don't know what I want. You know what? Never mind." She huffed.

Brady sensed that he had just hurt his imprints feelings. She wanted to feel... something... What did she want to feel? His erect penis? She could have that and more. He didn't try to understand. She never made any sense. He quickly stripped out of his shorts and climbed into her bed and pulled her back to his chest. "I'm here. You can feel me." He stroked her hair back from her neck and breathed in her scent.

Leah felt a shaky irrational fear that she was fighting as the body of a naked man was wrapped around her. Maybe it was too soon to be reintroduced to these murky waters. But she wanted to be 'over' Quil as soon as humanly possible. She felt safe with Brady and when she phased again, she would be exposed to naked men all the time. She stopped and sorted through all of the feelings pouring over her. She was wearing just cotton panties that she pressed against Brady's bare groin. She felt a tweak of fear from her memories, but also good feelings about the present. She was testing waters further than she already had. Each night she had dipped her toes into the water at first before walking in ankle deep. Right now, she was thigh high and she felt she was making good progress. She didn't want to be afraid. It felt good knowing with absolute certainty that Brady wasn't going to do anything she didn't want him to do. It wasn't just something that she knew in her head. She thought she knew no one in the pack would ever hurt her before Quil Sr. Now, she knew in her head that Jake, Joshua, Sam, Paul, Jared, Embry, Quil and the others wouldn't hurt her. But she didn't trust them enough to share a bed with her. Her skin would be crawling if they pressed themselves up against her. If they were naked like Brady was right now, she was sure that she would have broken down in tears. But she was building up trust with Brady on her own terms.

She didn't want to talk about what Quil Sr did to her. Leah didn't want Brady to know the details. She didn't want to share midnight confidences with him. Hell, she wasn't even ready to really get to know him. But she did want to build new associations with him. Because right now, the association Quil built with naked men was painful. She was rejecting that. She wouldn't accept that. She knew better. She just had to retrain her body to know better.

* * *

Wind blew in the branches of the trees above shaking excess water from the most recent rain down over him. The clearing near the border between the two tribes was quiet. He viewed Asook sitting at a log much the same way and in the same place as Jacob had seen him with Bella months ago when she ran away. He held up a marshmallow on a stick over the campfire and held up a bag of marshmallow's with a wicked grin. Jacob phased to human, pulled on his shorts and trotted over to join him.

"Good evening young Alpha. Get a stick and roast with me." Asook entreated.

"Do you have everything needed for smoores?" Jacob asked in a falsely stern voice.

"I apologize, I do not." Asook chuckled.

They attempted at humour to ease into discussions. But the truth was that Jacob didn't have to work too hard to keep a stern voice. Asook had assured him that Jacob had much to gain from this meeting.

Asook offered the bag of marshmallow's to Jacob, but he declined. Asook sighed in resignation returning the bag to the ground beside him before scrutinizing his marshmallow and biting it whole in his mouth. Jake sat and watched ill at ease. A cool wind threatened the small fire and rain hung in the air. He estimated another hour before it fell.

"Billy hid too much information from us. We borrowed your Quil Sr for information. Letting him wander was a mistake." Asook commented breezily.

Jacob held his body rigidly with his hands curled up into tight fists. "We didn't want his imprint to die with him." He spoke through gritted teeth. "Do you have a point?"

"You are moody. Quil was a fool to come to us. He has no friends here. He has history with us. Before he phased, he infected one of our imprints with chlamydia. She lost her fertility because it went untreated. She owns some responsibility, but he certainly didn't endear himself to us. We're done with him. I would like to send him on his way, but I suspect that you won't want him set loose. Would you like us to hand him over to you? I think there is a certain She-Wolf that would like to cut off his balls."

"She wants him dead." Jacob said shortly with a tight expression on his face. Quil of course couldn't be held responsible for damaging another wolf's imprint as he hadn't started phasing when it happened. But it wasn't surprising that the Makah had a cool response towards Quil. "I'm sorry about the damage he caused your pack's imprint."

"Like we told her at the time, you lie with dogs and you'll catch fleas. I had no intention of seeing your little fighter getting too hurt, but I was curious to see if his experiment worked and also to see how far he was willing to carry it. How far he would betray his pack's young imprint. I think he hates her." Asook mused as he speared another marshmallow and placed it over the fire. Jacob considered the information.

"Eye for an eye." Jacob observed."You've held this grudge for a long time."

"Billy failed to see the seriousness of our charges. Be mindful of your population damaging our tribe. We don't wish to see more of your diseases." Asook sneered before his face was quickly replaced with calm. Jacob swallowed. "I won't hold you responsible for your father's failure's. But I mean to be taken seriously. We will agree to not interfere with your imprints in future. I've made my point. Now, do you want Quil Sr or not? He has plans to move on to Crater Lake Oregon. There's a nasty pack down there that I'm sure will be very interested to know about your fighting imprint and She-Wolf." Asook chuckled.

"And what will it cost us?" Jacob asked distrustfully.

"We've caught wind that the head of the vampire world has brought werewolves to extinction. They will be turning their attentions on shape shifting wolves. We have a shared enemy. We don't like each other. But I wish to offer Quil Sr as a peace offering for your co-operation to defend our territory from a group known as the Volturi. The tactics they used on the werewolves was to set them on each other and then hunting down the remnants. I believe that has already begun. Hostilities between us have grown further than they have in centuries. We need to mend this." Asook chomped down on another marshmallow with an appreciative moan. "Delicious."

Jacob sat stiffly. The sky let go of droplets warning of the impending downpour. "I need to think on this and confirm your information. How long will you be holding Quil for us?"

"Please decide soon, but the longest we'll wait is a week." Asook answered before offering marshmallow's again. Jacob stared at the bag for a moment. Then picked out a marshmallow looking Asook in the eye as he ate it. They nodded at each other and Jacob left Asook in thought at the campfire.

Jacob had much to think about. He'd need to hear Joshua's version of the story and maybe pry information from the Cullen's. If possible and assuming any information from them was reliable.

**

* * *

**

**AN: Renewed alliance with the Makah... Hmmm... And yes, Leah is strange.  
**


	22. Morning After

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**Morning After  
**

**Chapter 22**

**AN: A more thoughtful chapter than action packed. I hope you still like it.  
**

**

* * *

**

The Alpha Pup was a decent leader. He just needed guidance. Unfortunately his father was failing to provide that. Any failure on the young Alpha's part was for lack of guidance and not the young man. Asook felt some guilt, but he mean no harm to Jacob's pack or his tribe. Once the threat was eliminated, all authority would be returned. Besides, as usual the Quileute Council was working behind their Alpha's back. When was their Council forthright with their pack? Maybe Asook could give the young Alpha some guidance? Probably not. The young Alpha would resent Asook no matter what package it was wrapped up in.

He watched his daughter opening birthday presents with a sigh. He was surrounded by happy faces and light spirits. He tried to join them and feel what they felt, but his worries continued. Maybe something needed to be done about the rival Council once this mess was cleared up. They were spinning their wheels and getting themselves into more trouble. He supposed if they had asserted more authority generations ago like his Council had, they wouldn't be facing these difficulties. Or maybe the fact that they had included wolves amongst their Council was the problem? The wolves wished to assert authority that didn't belong to them. There was much to consider about a pack and a tribe who weren't in fact his responsibility. He pushed these thoughts and feelings to one side and tried to focus on his daughters birthday party.

* * *

As usual Brady woke up with the sun spilling into Leah's bedroom and her order's. "Get out." She said sleepily. He smiled broadly at the feel of his imprint skin to skin. She had yet to see him naked. All night, a thin piece of cotton fabric had divided them. He had begun humping her during the night while sleeping and had been promptly slapped awake. He blushed remembering the slap the excited heated sensations coursing through his body. She had been calm about it. After all, she had been grinding against him.

Reluctantly he got out of her bed and put his shorts on before heading downstairs to join her family for breakfast. Seth and Sue talked about their upcoming plans for the day while Brady stared at his bowl of cereal. Sue left without so much as a goodbye from Brady. Seth took a seat next to Brady.

"How's she doing?" Seth asked. Brady blushed and took a spoon of cereal into his mouth thoughtfully.

"I've been in her mind for a long time and her brother for much longer. I doubt you can say anything that will shock me. I'll try my best to help okay?" Seth said tactfully.

Brady eyed him doubtfully. But he was so confused by his imprint and needed help and he didn't want to admit to anything to the older guys. And Collin wouldn't know anymore than he did. And even Jake had more pressing matters.

"She told me to strip and she only wore underwear to bed! I don't understand her! She won't let me close but presses herself against me at night!" Brady blurted out. Seth fought back the urge to hit the guy for touching his sister and thought carefully what he had said.

"Leah's never been one to respond to pain in a healthy way. She wouldn't talk to anyone in my experience. If you don't watch it, she'll turn you into a booty call and nothing more." Seth warned Brady and then left to get ready for school. That was as much as he could discuss about his sister sleeping with someone. His protective brother instincts could only take so much.

Brady sat in stunned silence by himself. Did he just have this conversation with his imprints brother? And he's still in one piece? He breathed a slow sigh of relief before cleaning up his breakfast and racing home to get ready for school.

Leah had listened to the conversation downstairs while she held her breath. Then waited until they left the house before melting down crying. She was responding to pain in an unhealthy way. That's what he said. Was it true? Probably. She curled into a tight ball and let it all release. She had cried too many tears and she was again. Crying. Again.

She considered that maybe for once it wouldn't be so bad if she tried a healthier approach. Like talking.

* * *

She hadn't realized that she had shaken the sense of foreboding until it returned. For her short life, there had always been a feeling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that she was being hunted. She was being hunted by the authorities that would bring her to the monster her mother warned her about. And she was being hunted by opportunists. She was prey. And every decision needed to be second guessed. Fear being her prime companion. It kept her alive and kept pain at a minimum. When dealing with people, fear chose her words, chose her actions and her reactions. Fear plagued her sleep and was the feeling of dread that she woke up with. She was insecure that she would be broken or killed. It threatened to burst through her controlled veneer as fast panicked sobs, a release of her bladder and streams of tears. But she had practice controlling this veneer since she was four years old. She held strong and determined. She followed Renee's lead. She was allowed to cry for many things. But Renee never allowed fear to grip her. Never allowed fear to break her down to tears. And Bella could proudly say that when faced with fear she couldn't remember _ever_ crying. She cried with relief when it was over this time though. And while it had felt good, the next day, that sense of dread was a lump in her throat, a rock in the pit of her stomach and she wanted to hide.

For the first time, she felt that she had somewhere or rather someone to hide in. And he was more than happy to be her shelter. She buried her face into Paul's chest, feeling her breath bounce off him and warm her face. It was too hot burying herself in Paul, but she was a determined girl. She wasn't ready to face the world and all of the dark unknown. She had thought that her darkest fear would never return, but there is was outside of her school. She had worked so hard all of her life to never be cornered by a man. And there she was captured and held with two desperate men. Yesterday had been a culmination of her worst fears coming to life. The nightmares that she had come screaming to life. She had been free of her nightmares for weeks. They hadn't returned buried into Paul. But the dread was very present. She needed more.

The light had grown under the heavy curtains although dimmed due to the clouds covering the sun outside. Bella pulled back to see Paul's face. He looked down at his imprint with concern. He sensed a sinking feeling from her. And he felt his own sense of failure that she had had to fight for her life yesterday. Neither spoke as they read each others faces, measuring each others feelings. The silence in the room was deafening. Bella's attention drifted from Paul's emotions to his face. She was looking up at his dark brown eyes, black eyelashes and a chiseled face. Her hand came up and a finger freely trailed his jawline. Paul held back a shiver at her touch fighting to hold still and watch what she did next. She wanted a distraction from the pit in her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that resembled Laurie Strode as she hides from Michael in Halloween. Of course, it was probably paranoia. But as her mother always told her: Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean that someone isn't out to get me.

Bella had struggled to make a trip to the bathroom during the night. She had almost broken down and cried as fear and tension tried to beat her down. But as always, she fought it. It was harder to fight when she didn't have an enemy to direct the fight against. Paul had come to stand outside the silent bathroom door and asked Bella if she was okay. She had said that she was but felt the burden of fear that some psychotic monster was hiding in the shower or under the sink or the vents waiting for her to turn her back on them. She had finished quickly and thrown herself into Paul's arms as she left the bathroom. He had gingerly carried her back to his bed. She hadn't even asked what she was doing sleeping in his home and in his bed. She had just accepted it gratefully. Now she focused on his face and really saw how handsome he was. And that it distracted her from her feelings of foreboding. She had lived eleven years in fear and now that she had had a taste of life without fear, it was harder to return to it. She wanted to soak herself in Paul. She inched forward holding his chin in one hand and cautiously kissed him.

"I'm scared. Can you make me forget?" She whispered. Paul's heart broke and he delicately brought her back to his lips. He gently pressed his lips to hers in the same manner that he had carefully kissed her the one time before. He had kissed many girls before Bella. But it wasn't the same.

Bella's heart beat faster as a man pressed her lips to hers. She felt anxiety and tension, but without fear and doubt. He felt good. His large frame pressed up against hers and his soft lips pressing against hers. She moaned in a way unfamiliar to her that could only be described as sultry. He had barely done anything yet and her lips were parting and laying back open to him. Paul slowly moved in, bracing his weight and trailing a hand down her body as he watched her face for her reaction. Her hips naturally pressed up into him and he had to push down his natural reaction to rip her clothes off and take her right there. There was a naive subconsciousness about her movements and he knew she would lose that all too quickly. She opened her eyes when his hand became still on her hip. When he had eye contact again he leaned down to kiss her watching her with cautious eyes. Her lips were still parted when he moved the tip of his tongue of the line of her bottom lip and then over her upper lip. She quivered beneath him. His hand moved up from her hip and towards her breast as he began to explore her mouth.

"Uhhh.." She gasped as her mind and body focused on him. Unfamiliar sensations flooded her and a strange ache made itself known. All thoughts of a boogie man coming to get her were lost. His tongue did things that she wouldn't have thought would make her feel light headed. Although, the lack of food might have contributed to that. Her body seemed to move on it's own into his hand as he cupped her breast. He groaned and the sound of his base reverberating through her caused her to tremble. It was all so new and felt so good. His tongue dominated her mouth but was careful not to overwhelm her. Her body responded writhing under him and letting go of whimpers and moans.

Paul reveled in sounds she made in her throat and wanted to taste more and hear more. He licked his way down her throat and nibbled on her neck. He watched her face as her eyes closed and observed that she was grabbing onto the bedsheets with white knuckles. He felt an orgasm building just watching her respond to him. But nothing prepared him for when she cried out loudly in shocked pleasure when he kissed behind her ear. Paul was equally surprised and stopped for a moment before assaulting the spot to hear her cry out more. The girl hadn't touched him and she had aroused him so much he wasn't sure if he wasn't going to orgasm without having moved below either of their waists. He hadn't experienced a girl responding that well to being kissed behind the ear before but he liked it a lot. As her cries reached a fevered pitch as he sucked, kissed and nibbled down her neck and back to the same spot repeatedly, while his hands massaged her covered torso he pulled back. He didn't want to make a mess in his pants and he didn't want to move too far and too fast for his imprint. He kissed down along her jaw and to her mouth before giving her one last chaste kiss.

He grinned watching her eyes open while she panted breathlessly. Paul was quite sure that she had forgotten that she was scared at that his mission had been accomplished. She stared up at him wide eyed and rendered speechless. He was fighting with himself to keep control. She was still laying back on the bed, legs closed gripping the sheets. She wasn't entirely sure what just happened. Something almost happened. She'd heard of orgasms and she suspected she might have been on the cusp of one before she was disappointed when he stopped. Did she want to try again? She bit on her bottom lip. As she thought about it Renee flashed in her mind and feared rolled back. What on earth did she just let this man do to her? She told him to do something to make her forget and then she kissed him. He hadn't done anything wrong. But she most certainly had. This was probably one of the things that Renee had been trying to warn her about. Men weren't to be trusted. Men want to hurt you. Stay away from men. All of these warnings for all of these years and she had just handed herself over to this man. She became aware of herself and looked down to see that she was wearing only his t-shirt and her underwear. She curled into a ball but still trusted Paul enough to hide in him. She was experiencing the same fear as before but not nearly as intensely.

Paul watched quietly as fear registered on her face and he was extremely relieved that he had stopped when he did. If this was the aftershock of making out with him, he would hate to find out what could have happened if he'd continued further. He was worried she was about to run away when she curled into him and he ran his hands over her soothingly. They lay silently in his bed.

* * *

Gail woke up to to dark brown eyes staring gazing at her. A smile curled her lips.

"Morning beautiful!" He greeted. "More job hunting today?" Her eyes trailed down his naked form in her old bedroom on the bed she had brought with her from the house she had sold. She felt like she had lost years moving back into her parents. If it wasn't moving back home that had made her feel younger, this hulking form plunging in and out of her every night was certainly making her feel young again. While she was twenty four, she usually felt more like thirty with a ten year old child.

"Mmmmhh..." She murmured. "Job..." Her hand trailed down his body. Suddenly she felt sick. Gail clambered over Embry as she made a mad dash for the bathroom. Embry held her hair as she braced herself over the toilet. Nothing came up, but she was close. His mind quickly jumped to one conclusion: She's pregnant. And he was excited but tried to push down those thoughts. She was jobless and living with her parents and unmarried. He doubted she would be impressed. That's why he had been careful to use condoms even though she was on birth control. The wolves were very fertile even if not all of the imprints were. He wanted her to be happy and unexpected pregnancy might not make her happy. It was disappointing to think, but it would be best if she was in fact sick.

Gail felt waves of nausea while she fought back the nagging warning in her head that she might be pregnant. She was using birth control and Embry was convinced they needed condoms too. She shouldn't be pregnant. She wasn't late yet, she didn't have money for a baby and she wasn't anymore prepared for an abortion now than she was when she was pregnant with Lacey. It was a stomach bug. It just had to be. So much for job hunting today. She probably should have gotten a job before she quit. She some weeks before they replaced her. Hind sight was 20/20.

A hot hand touched her head. She was too hot and a little sweaty. Embry caught her as she started to swoon.

"I think you're sick." He stated. She nodded and allowed him to bring her back to bed. He threw on sweat pants and headed downstairs to prepare her breakfast in bed and get Lacey off to school.

**

* * *

**

**AN: Semi-lemon with Paul and Bella. Hope you like it!  
**


	23. The Talk

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't mine. **

**The Unscrupulous Council**

**The Talk  
**

**Chapter 23**

**AN: I'm having a stab at a reviewers request for a Paul and Bella "talk". Let me just say one thing. I struggled. I really did try to keep them in character. But it was a good challenge even if it took longer to post the chapter.  
****

* * *

**

Bella eyed Paul as they finished lessons for the day. He had something to say and she was nervous what exactly that was.

Sue had convinced Charlie that what Bella needed was private tutoring otherwise known as home schooling. Paul took on this job with gusto. Charlie was apprehensive but knew that Bella was so far behind, he was willing to try whatever it took to get her up to speed. They sat at the kitchen table of Charlie's home watching each other contemplatively. Bella gulped.

A week had passed since Bella had been rescued from the Makah. A week had passed since Bella had slept in Paul's bed and she had experienced something very new. She sensed that she had done something very wrong. Especially because Paul hadn't said a word about it all week and Renee had clearly warned her about something like this. Renee didn't want Bella to get hurt. With the large volume of warnings and snippets of information Renee had given her, sex must come with a lot of dangers and pain.

"I wanted to talk to you about what happened last week. I wanted to talk to you more clearly about the imprint." Paul asked calmly and directly. Bella flushed crimson. His eyebrow moving rapidly in a small twitch for an instant was the only indication how much he wanted to laugh at her cute reaction. He decided that laughing wasn't in his best interests if he wanted a candid discussion with his imprint. Bella nodded compulsively even as she wanted to shake her head 'no'.

"You showed fear in my bed when you realized something. That's something I have never wanted you to ever feel in my bed. It has been bugging me all week. What were you afraid of exactly?" Paul sat back in his seat watching her carefully trying to understand what she was feeling. He needed answers and he suspected that she needed answers too. He watched her face as varied emotions checkered her face.

"I er... Renee, always told me not to trust men. She told me men wanted to hurt me. And I suddenly realized I had just kind of handed myself over to you without blinking. I broke every rule in her book. I'm not really sure what to think. You didn't hurt me. I don't think you would. But Renee was positively certain that I needed to stay away to be safe. Before I came to live here, in my experience, men were bad news. They wanted what little money we had or wanted to... do things." She paused and took a clear breath to control her nerves and embarrassment.

Paul worked furiously to keep his reaction under control. "What 'things' did they do to you Bella?"

She didn't look up. "Not much compared to what could have happened. Compared to what happened to Leah." Paul's throat tightened. He didn't think Bella knew anything about that. "I'm not stupid, Paul. Looking at her I can figure out what happened. I'm not sure who. But I have a time line and my suspicions." Paul nodded with understanding. She wasn't entirely naive. Watching her, he felt some consolation that he didn't think anything like that had happened to her. "But my mother warned me about everything. I've been hit a few times-" Paul interrupted.

"Hit how exactly?" He wanted to know precisely what had happened to her. She kept her eyes down as she got up and went to get a glass from the cupboard gesturing an offer to him that he refused. She poured water into her glass before returning to her seat and drinking quietly. Nothing about this conversation resembled comfortable.

"I've been slapped, punched, choked and once shot." She looked up when she heard a growl. She shrugged his reaction off. "I've got a nice scar on my butt from the bullet. But I probably did worse. I expect some of them needed plastic surgery after we defended ourselves. I'm not sure if the guy who shot me lived. I like to think he did. Men definitely seem to be my primary source of danger. Renee has always been right about that." She said, forgetting to use the past tense.

"Is she still right? Am I someone you need to be afraid of?" Paul asked. Bella's eyes shone with tears as she shook her head. Paul was relieved.

"It's just hard to adjust to. And I don't know what to... expect exactly." She mumbled. He watched her closely with interest. This appeared to be a subject he was interested in hearing her viewpoint on. From what Leah and Seth had shared, she didn't seem to know much about sex. He wasn't sure what to say to her about it, but she had made it clear when Sue and then when Emily had approached her, that she didn't want to talk to them. It had never occurred to Paul in years prior that he would have a mate that needed the bird's and the bee's talk.

"What to expect? You don't have to expect anything sooner than you're ready for." Paul assured her. Bella was blushing again.

"Not that you did anything wrong. You did what I told you to do, but I wasn't expecting... what happened... last week." She muttered in a way that he found endearing.

"Expecting what to happen?" He asked, patiently pulling out her perspective. He wanted a clear picture of what she knew already.

Bella looked like she might explode with embarrassment and Paul held back the need to embrace her and make it all better. "You were kissing me and pressed against me and... I wasn't expecting it to feel good. I wanted more." Paul exercised as much control as he could. He didn't want Bella to have surprises that would upset her. He wanted her armed with information and knowing what she did and did not want. He had left a book on sex education with her school books but could tell that she hadn't touched it as it collected dust under her bed. He guessed she avoided information out of embarrassment. He needed to understand more so he could make his imprint happy by either stepping back or progressing further.

"You wanted more what? I just want to know how much you know." He tried to explain honestly. He watched her blush continue without rest. The conversation had slowed greatly as Bella struggled with herself. How much could she _actually_ say? She swallowed. She trusted him. She could tell Paul what she knew. Or what she thought she knew.

"What I do know is that if you have sex without condoms or the pill you could get pregnant. Sex is when a man shoves his... _thing_ in... a woman's... _thing._" She muttered staring at her fingers avoiding Paul's eyes as though she would catch fire under his gaze. If it weren't for the imprint, Paul would have fallen around laughing on the floor. But somehow, he managed to keep a straight face as the corner of his mouth twitched violently. I took a deep breath restraining himself.

"Well, when you put it like that... it doesn't sound like much fun." He said coyly. Bella buried her face in her arms wishing the ground would swallow her whole. She groaned as though she were in pain. "I think I can provide a better explanation than that." And so Paul gently explained things in a more clinical manner the mechanics of sex, the clinical names for body parts and went so far as to draw diagrams for his student as she listened torn between horror and fascination. When he came to the end of his explanation that he hoped was entirely informative, he asked to hear her questions and concerns. He watched her squirm as she tried to voice a question.

"Does it hurt?" She whispered.

"It doesn't hurt guys at all, but the first time is usually painful or uncomfortable for girls. Or so I hear. I'm not a girl and I haven't slept with a virgin." She suspected this was about the hymen. When Bella hurt herself one day falling on her ass and left blood in her underwear, Renee explained she broke her hymen and that she didn't need it. Bella didn't think it would hurt the first time but didn't want to share this personal detail with Paul to confirm her suspicions. It was his turn to blush and this bolstered Bella's confidence that she wasn't the only one feeling uncomfortable with the topic.

"How many girls have you slept with?" She asked. Paul coughed and began to fidget in his seat.

"Not a lot." He insisted confidently. Bella didn't let him off that easily.

"How man girls would be a lot?" She pressed him.

He wished he hadn't started this now. "I don't know, like twenty." Bella's self-confidence continued to be bolstered watching him slip from a dominant position as he shrunk from his imprints tenacity. And so she asked question after question, seemingly each one designed to make him squirm more than the last. Even if Bella wasn't looking to make him squirm, it certainly propelled her to ask more questions. It was when she asked about a term she had heard that had her confused her that he drew the line.

"I think that's enough for one day. Charlie's going to be home soon." Paul grunted taking a stand and packing up to go home.

"But you didn't answer my question about sex faces!" Bella complained. He was making his escape to his truck with Bella close on his tail as Charlie pulled up. Watching Paul's frazzled expression and Bella's determined face, it seemed that a young girl had just chased a fully grown man from Charlie's house. Charlie most certainly approved of that.

* * *

During meal time a knock came. Asook answered the door as his family ate with Quil at the table. Asook's second and third were standing at the door eyeing Quil.

"It's time." His second said.

Quil heard and reacted to the statement instinctively. Somehow he knew by the lack of eye contact and awkward shuffling that they were coming for him. He shot out of his seat and straight through the wall of Asook's house to his family's surprise. But waiting on the other side of the wall was a team ready for Quil. After a few hits, the world went black.

Quil awoke under a tree canopy in the night sky. He recognized the surroundings as the Olympic mountains. "You will not phase." Asook ordered in his Alpha timbre. He watched his Alpha circle him from above as he lay in the snow high on a mountain. His old pack and his new pack stood either side. "You made a foolish mistake years ago. You broke your imprint and your most protecting tie to your pack. Jacob was concerned enough to protect his imprints by not ordering your death immediately by banishing you. Your banishment proved that any hold your life carried over her life, has lost it's sway. We are free to carry out any punishment we see fit." Asook looked up at Jacob. He stepped back and Quil Sr's new pack turned their backs on him leaving him defenseless as they stripped to phase and left the mountain top.

Time passed and he watched Jacob silently circled Quil as the man stood to his feet. Snow attached to his back, fell away in clumps. But his attention fell on an angry Leah as she stood between Seth and Brady holding her closely to provide body heat and support. Quil Jr stood slightly in front of her but without blocking their view. His face was stone towards his father. His feelings of betrayal were obvious. Paul stood close to Quil Jr with seething rage towards the older man written clearly on his face.

"We would like to torture you slowly before death." Jacob said when he stopped circling Quil and stood behind him. Jake's face was directed at Quil's ear and Quil fought back a shudder. "I worry about what more damage that would do to my pack. You have traumatised your family and your pack. The world that you supposedly protect your wife and son from isn't the real danger. You were always their biggest threat. You have a long line of people who want to kill you." Jacob stepped away and continued to talk while sneering at Quil Sr. "You kidnapped and repeatedly raped a fellow pack mate and a pack brother's imprint." He referred to Brady. "When she phases again, her memories will add further insult and pain to my pack and I doubt that memory will wash away before the next generation of wolves shifts? How many generations will be traumatized by you?" Jacob said with pain in his voice.

"Erase the memory. Protect them." Quil Sr answered.

"That's another mistake. Manipulating the pack. You whisper poison in Alpha's ears. Erasing memories will not clear up the hurt and pain. It will only mean that we don't remember why she is in pain. That serves no one but you. Further charges, and there are many it's hard to decide which ones to list, is damaging your imprint emotionally, spiritually and physically. Not only is she your imprint, but my pack brother's mother. Imprints are to be cherished. You turned her life into a living tragedy." Quil went to speak but Jacob shot him a look. "You will listen!" He said darkly and Quil swallowed compulsively. "You've had too much freedom to speak your lies and to manipulate us. We will not hear anymore of what you have to say. You will listen. Another imprint had her childhood ruined as she was ripped from her father and forced to live homeless for _eleven_ years. We know only a small amount of what happened to her during those years and I expect we will be paying those consequences for many years to come. To add insult to injury, you kidnapped her and put her life in danger playing a disgusting game of cat and mouse. You are revolting. You have damaged the tribe enough. We no longer have any ties to protect. And if I didn't care so much about my pack, I would put you through a slow agonising death. Instead, I hope you rot in hell." And with that, Jacob unexpectedly phased and ripped off Quil's head much to the surprise of everyone standing there.

They stood in silence.

* * *

Smoke left the chimney of the two story Victorian brick house surrounded by tree's. It had been updated in the past year, with the treated wooden floors, stained and polished. Custom built-in dark wooden cabinetry in the kitchen with stainless steel fixtures and appliances. Fashionable granite counter-tops and a wine rack and professional grade stove. The sleek double sink sat in the kitchen island at an angle. A family of five sat in the dining room. A bench against the glass wall overlooking the backyard and pool, had storage below the seat. The rustic table held four more chairs around it. The scene was elegant even as the youngest of the three children whined. The six year old didn't want Cornish Game Hen for dinner. He wanted macaroni and cheese with ketchup. And maybe some hot dogs.

"Micah, we don't have any pasta in the cupboards. We've been eating far too much of it lately. Eat your meal or go hungry. Those are your choices. Whining will only end up with you going to bed early. I really can't stand whining." Micah pouted with his arms folded.

A broody middle daughter, seventeen year old Marie, finished her meal and looked at her father expectantly. She still didn't understand what sort of vacation this was. Hanging out with her family in the middle of nowhere on a rainy peninsula wasn't her idea of a vacation. Her parents bought this cottage in the boonies to get away from the Seattle on weekends and during the summer. Her parents had ancestral roots with an Indian reservation a couple of hours drive away but didn't have any other connections. They seemed to think this was going to bring the family closer and suited some strange need to connect with their ancestors or whatever they were talking about. Marie wanted the cruise around the Mediterranean. She was very disappointed by this whole thing. Her father saw she had eaten most of her meal and waved her away. Maria took off out the glass doors to the pool pump shed where she pulled out her reading material. It smelled somewhat of chemicals but the noise gave her the familiar backdrop of sound that she was used to living in the city. There was something unnatural about only the sound of the wind through the tree's. She eyed the pool as she passed. _Who wants an outdoor pool in such a rainy place?_ She didn't understand her parents.

She had set up a hammock in the shed and now took a seat as she poured through poetry. She was currently reading a young poets anthology from a university. She hadn't paid attention to which one. One poem reminded her of her older sister, home from school eating in the dining room. She was all grown up and sophisticated now. Maria frowned. She read through the poems enjoying the emotions they pulled from her. Her eyes grew heavy. It was okay if she fell asleep. Her father would come out and get her at bed time. Soon she was asleep.

* * *

Maria woke up cold and her head hurt from being around the chemicals for too long. She was thirsty and she wondered why her father hadn't come to get her. She fell out of the hammock less than gracefully and stumbled to the door. She was stunned by what she saw. Her mother was screaming in excruciating pain from somewhere in the house. Micah was on the ground with a distant death like expression frozen on his face. Her sister, Kayla was strewn across the kitchen in pieces as though she had been ripped limb from limb strangely without much blood to speak of. A man held a body part, her sister's arm and playfully slapped a woman across the face with the hand. The wall of windows to the kitchen had been smashed through and a young girl was sucking from her father's throat as his body hung limp. They wore hooded cloaks and were grinning at her clearly amused by Maria.

"A fifth! What a clever hiding spot! I couldn't hear or smell you! I'll have to remember that one!" The man with the arm said.

"I say we let her live for ingenuity!" The woman who was slapped with the hand laughed.

"You know we can't do that!" The girl said dropping her fathers body to the ground.

Maria knew that her face was coloured in horror.

"Can't we keep her? Just for a little while? She's adorable! Look at those sad _widdle _puppy eyes!" The woman pleaded buoyantly as she played with the same hands fingers. One finger came off and the woman looked ruefully at it with little concern.

"I suppose. We're going to be here for awhile. This house might make a good temporary base while we watch the mutts." Her red eyes stared at Maria. Maria had noticed that they all had red eyes before. She smothered a scream. The girl cocked her head to one side and Maria's body exploded in excruciating pain. She was burning from the inside out! As though she had drunk fuel and it had been set on fire as her mouth provided the oxygen needed while depriving her of air. She screamed an inhuman sound. The pain stopped after some time but the echo remained and Maria remained curled up on the floor.

"You hurt my new pet." The woman frowned, disappointed. "I want to see her horrified puppy eyes! Not a traumatised waif." She waved dismissively at Maria. The man standing with her grinned.

"Wait, humans want to live. If Jane doesn't keep hurting her she'll rebound. Give her some water and sleep and we can have our plaything back for the remainder of our time here. We'll give her a show unlike anything she's ever seen." He chuckled. Another man came out of the house carrying Maria's mothers body watching the scene with amusement.

The young girl stood close to the man, clearly in charge of the group. "Don't lose sight of what we're doing here. We have two packs of mongrels to gain information on and we don't have much time. You can have your squeaky toy." She glanced at a sobbing Maria. "But don't let her draw attention to us. And don't forget they eat a few times a day. Humans are very needy."

* * *

**AN: Secluded homes in the woods are creepy. Anyway, hope the wait was worth it!  
**


End file.
